Litter

Ever wonder why there are littering laws. What's up with throwing out a little trash, nature will take care of itself, no harm in a tossing a little wrapper. Right? Wrong! It is a disregard and a disrespect of the incredible goodness and greatness that surrounds us. There is a massive difference between Haiti and the Dominican. Two countries that exist on the same island. As people lose their sense of value, they also begin to devalue things around them. Our value as a mighty creation is often overlooked in our everyday living. As I was readying for church Sunday morning, I picked up my dress shoes that I had worn in Haiti last Sunday morning. I turned them over and one shoe in particular had a good sized chunk of Haitian dirt affixed to it. I carried it downstairs and beat it off out on the front porch, where the Haitian dirt will now mix with the Michigan dirt. I don't believe that little amount of dirt from Haiti will ever hurt anything at all, but it reminded me of the differences between the dirt outside my home and the dirt in Haiti. Ours is a rather clean soil compared to theirs. As you will see in the picture, most trash is just thrown where people are finished with it. The sewage runs down the city streets or lays in puddles unable to escape to the river. It is a horrific mess, and the only way to clean it up is for everyone to take responsibility for their own space. But in this land of destitution, that is a big thing to ask, when you yourself feel like the biggest piece of litter. I worked hard at improving the personal sense of value while I was there this time. We worked with the leadership, but it is a slow process, and the restoration of balance will take time. As you properly value yourself before God, you will also value His creation properly. The next time you are tempted to let that small piece of trash slip through your fingers, think of this photo, remember where that steers your thinking about yourself, and the God who created you. There is a fine line fixed between us and total irrational thinking and actions. If you ask the Haitians how they arrived at this juncture, they can't tell you, it happened slowly over the course of time, letting go little by little, one piece of trash at a time, and a nation is ravaged and plundered by the simple scheme of the devaluing of themselves and their land. Let us not be blind to this plight. Every time my fingers touch my front yard again, I will be reminded of the mixing of the soils, and the danger that resides in a tainted heart and tainted actions. Keep a clean life and a clean yard. Tend your space with high regard for the gifts however small that God has given you. Blessings.