About two years ago, my husband and I decided to start recycling. We had just moved into our house, and were so excited we finally had the space to set up an area for recycling. We had the whole system worked out - we had different paper bags set up in our pantry for all the different types of materials (glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium), then every Wednesday we were going to take those bags to the recycling center at the Neighborhood Walmart on Edmondson and Old Hickory on our way to church. Simple! We were feeling pretty good about ourselves for being "green" and taking care of the environment.

A few months later, my enthusiasm was fading fast. It ended up being a lot of extra work to rinse out all the containers and sort through the trash. But even worse, our "every Wednesday trip to the recycling center" was just not happening. So my new, super-spacious walk in pantry was now overflowing with bags and bags of recycling. It got to the point that when they closed the recycling center at the neighborhood walmart a couple months ago, I almost wanted to quit altogether. What was really the point? Just recycling my trash wouldn't make a difference at all in the whole scheme of things. Why was I putting myself through all this work and inconvenience?

And then I remembered why: because it reminds me to be grateful. When I give someone a gift, one of the best ways they can show me their appreciation is to take care of what I've given them. When I go through the small inconveniences of recycling, I'm reminded that the reason I do this is because I want to show God I appreciate His creation. What a loving God - to create this amazing world for us. He gave us so much more than just what we needed to survive - he made it beautiful for us to enjoy. I think when we take the time to absorb the amazing-ness of creation, it's impossible not to sense God's love through all of it. Why did he make trees and flowers so beautiful? Why did he make fruits and vegetables taste so good? Why did he make beaches and mountains and lakes and rivers? For us to enjoy. What kind of love is that - that he would create, down to the last detail, such a wonderful world just for our enjoyment. And when I take time out of my day to do something to take care of his creation, I not only show God I appreciate what he's given me, I also have a consistent reminder of how truly wonderful His gift of creation is.

So maybe recycling isn't your thing - that's ok. But I encourage you to find something that consistently reminds you of God's wonderful creation. Because interwoven throughout all of his creation is the message of His love for us. Sometimes we just need a reminder so that we can feel it.

Hannah Fratt
Children's Ministries Director