We Americans have never liked limits. The old countries from which many of our ancestors came were countries that forced limits on what or who we could be. This new country promised a new life, usually without limits on what we wanted for ourselves and our children. The continent seemed immense, ours for the taking, even when populated by others. Without limitations on our desires, we swept them aside.
This idea of living without limits extends to our economics and our politics. Certain politicians claim they want to limit debt, but the limits are only for the poor, not for those who have wealthy friends who jet them to expensive vacations. The disparity between those who have too much and those who have not enough is a national shame.
Our idea of living without limits has contributed to the climate crisis we now face. Much of the rest of the world has taken the American idea of limitless growth and applied it to their own societies. Practicing what we preach is not easy but certainly necessary if we expect to solve problems in this world of which we are all a part.
Prayer for the Day
Ever giving God, who loves us not because of our merits,
But as a parent loves a child, shelter us within your heart,
Holding and yet encouraging us to reach out to the world around,
The world of which we are caretakers, not owners.
Fill our minds with the light of truth, our hearts with the grace of love,
Our deeds with the power of your Spirit.
In the name of the One who shows us how to live with grace,
Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.
Thoughts for the Day
The scariest resource is not oil, metals, clean air, capital, labour, or technology. It is our willingness to listen to each other and to earn from each other and to seek the truth rather than to seek to be right.
- Donella Meadows, Environmental economist (1941-2001)
When you are in a hole, stop digging.
- Bill McKibben, professor, environmental activist
The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth
From the rising of the sun to its setting. Out of Zion, God shines forth.
Our God comes and does not keep silence, before God is a devouring fire,
And a mighty tempest surrounds the Lord. … God is the judge of all.
Psalm 50: 1-3, 5