Our Christian faith calls us to care about our world and to love and protect God’s amazing creation. Yet it can sometimes be a challenge to know where to start, or the next right step to take. Here are seven practical everyday ideas to encourage you on your journey of caring for God’s creation.
Connecting with creation and being reminded of God’s goodness is a powerful way to motivate ourselves and others to care for our earth. Not only that, numerous research studies show spending time in creation is so good for us in many ways – mentally, physically and spiritually.
Make some time this week to spend time in nature and give thanks for this beautiful world God created. Plant something in the garden, walk in your local reserve or find a nearby hiking track. Share with a friend or family member what you saw, heard and experienced. Give thanks to God for creating such a precious and amazing world.
We may not have all the answers to the many challenges facing our world today, and this can feel overwhelming. A wonderful place to start is with prayer. You could pray in your own devotional time, around the dinner table as a family, or invite your church or small group to pray for God’s creation.
One way of helping reduce the burden on creation is for us to reduce the amount of household waste we are sending to landfill. You don’t have to do it all at once. Start by looking into the things that seem to be cropping up a lot in your waste bin, choose one of them, and research to see if there are any waste-free alternatives.
You could find a local shop that sells bulk ingredients, get a vegetable box delivered or find a local farmers’ market. Take reusable bags to the shops or your own container when you buy takeaway food.
Get inspired on your waste reducing journey with the story of one couple who had a zero-waste wedding!
One of the greatest injustices of our time is that the people least responsible for the impact on creation and climate are often the most vulnerable to its impacts. It’s something that at Tearfund we know from listening to our partners and the struggles their communities are facing year after year.
A key thing you can do to go deeper on your journey of caring for God’s creation is to learn more about the impact on our neighbours facing poverty.
Here’s an article to start with by our friend Kuki Rokhum from our long-term partner in India EFICOR. Kuki is passionate about creation care and working with church leaders in India to understand how we can all better care for our world.
Having a conversation about the importance of caring for God’s creation or taking action on climate change can sometimes be a tricky one.
Katherine Hayhoe, a Christian climate scientist and author, says one of the best ways we can start a conversation on this issue can be focusing on what unites us. Find what it is that you share in common, from faith to family, community, love of nature, or wellbeing of others and begin there.
She writes: “By beginning with what we share and then connecting the dots between that value and a changing climate, it becomes clear how caring about this planet and every living thing on it is not somehow antithetical to who we are as Christians, but rather central to it.”
Learn how to start a new and faith-filled conversation with the people in community about how our love for God leads us to care for all creation – and yes, that means talking about climate change! Join our webinar on 10 June It's a free event but you'll need to register.
Sometimes trying to do too much can feel overwhelming. What about starting with ONE thing and doing it for ONE year? Tearfund team member Sarah, chose to set herself a challenge not to buy any new clothes, shoes or accessories for twelve months. Read more about her challenge and what she learned!
Speaking up to our leaders is a powerful way to make change on important issues like caring for creation. You can do this today by signing the Call For All Creation – it takes less than a minute.
By signing the call, you will be joining with thousands of other Christians to encourage Australia’s leaders to provide the vital support and action that is needed to help our most vulnerable neighbours.
Together we can reset towards a more just, compassionate and sustainable society.
Together we can build a world that reflects God’s justice and desire for all creation to flourish.
Keep up to date on issues of faith and justice and ways you can take action towards a more just and sustainable world.
