Claire Foster
Humankind is easily ensnared in the culture of ownership. Even if it is understood intellectually that the world is God's and the human role of stewardship means to have dominion only under him, people can still find themselves caught by desire, which is by its nature voracious. The desire to have possessions can consume a person's waking hours and even his/her sleep in dreams.
In the midst of this, the Christian is called to stop: completely, properly, for a period of time. Not just to pause for breath before carrying on consuming, but to take a deep dive into God's peace. A regular practice of silence should be welcomed, because it offers the opportunity to experience freedom from the demands of a consumer society, rather than just to think that it would be a good idea.
Sharing God's Planet, Church House Publishing 2005, p.27
Reproduced with permission.
Some questions
- In what ways can we be obsessed by possessions?
- How difficult would it be to stop, as Claire suggests, and turn away from possessions?
- How else can we free ourselves from the demands of consumer society?
Choices
Which of these two 'items' would you most like to take with you in your rucksack on your journey (which is infinitely expandable) to protect the item from the adverse effects of climate change?
- A glacier
- A polar bear
Write down any thoughts, insights, ideas or observations in your notebook, journal or blog.
John