[Adapted from “Changing Our Culture of Conservation: We All Stand on Holy Ground,” Rick Bunch, Mar/Apr 2023 Herald, pp. 31–32]

We cannot afford to neglect our commitment to stewardship. It’s imperative that we develop a culture of education and understanding that results in conserving and wisely using Earth’s resources. It’s an ongoing process which must become a way of life.

We recognize that change is a constant. Change certainly relates to climates, which have been in motion since Earth’s beginning. At no other time, however, have eight billion people been pumping carbon dioxide and waste into the air, our rivers, and oceans. Yet, many fail to acknowledge a problem exists.

We also acknowledge no easy solutions exist. Pope Francis, along with conservation professionals across the world, suggests that strategies for a solution demand an integrated approach to combating poverty, restoring dignity to the excluded, and protecting the environment.

God does not ignore the vastness of nature because of our preoccupation with so-called spiritual concerns. Our prayers, our meditation, and our fasting reflect our connectedness with creation. When we acknowledge the presence of an all-encompassing Spirit, resident in every entity of created existence, that recognition makes all of creation sacred. We echo again the injunction to Moses—take off your shoes, for you are on holy ground.

Let the educational and community development endeavors of the church equip people of all ages to carry the ethics of Christ’s peace into all arenas of life. Prepare new generations of disciples to bring fresh vision to bear on the perplexing problems of poverty, disease, ware and environmental deterioration. Their contributions will be multiplied if their hearts are focused on God’s will for creation (Doctrine and Covenants 163:4c).

Prayer Phrase

“…the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it” (Psalm 24:1).

Spiritual Practice

Flowing Water

If possible, sit where you can hear water—a fountain, stream, the sea, (perhaps a recording of water sounds). Listen to the sound as you thank God for the life-giving, life-shaping power of water. Pray for God’s blessing on all the parched places of the Earth where there is injustice, oppression, violence, and disregard for life. Pray for God’s justice to be released and imagine it flowing over the Earth, restoring righteousness and wholeness. Now, get up and drink a glass of clear, cold water as you pray, “God, let your justice flow through me as a disciple of Christ Jesus.”

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.