From Cole Arthur Riley's, This Here Flesh.
"In Genesis, when God gives Eve and Adam authority over creation, it is not permission to do whatever they want; it's an honoring. It's permission to be the mouth and hands of justice, protectors of every created thing. Over time we've taken this role to look more like dominion than cultivation. Instead of resting the land, we overharvest it, we exhaust it. Instead of marveling at the tree, we make plans for its utility. We are a people much more concerned with ruling than loving. This is a mistake that positions us in places where we are no longer close enough to another person or thing to perceive its pain or need. To be human in an aching world is to know our dignity and become people who safeguard the dignity of everything around us."
The ongoing news out of Springfield, Ohio has me asking God to work in my own heart to recall the dignity and sacredness of all created things and people.
God who hears the cries of every heart, help us safeguard the dignity of our Haitian siblings. Empower us to move close enough to another person to perceive their pain or need. Help us be protectors of all you've made and love. Amen
Grace,
Ruth
