Blessing People and Planet.

#3 Take Less of Everything.

King Midas wanted to have more, so he asked that everything he touched be turned to gold. This worked OK for a while but then he realised that he could not eat or drink because his touch made the item turn to gold and when he hugged his much loved daughter and she turned to lifeless gold, he understood that what he thought would be a blessing had actually turned into a curse.

This is a bit like life, isn’t it? So often the things we think are going to bless us, when we take too much actually turn from blessing to curse. There is a fine line between blessing and curse and it is very easy to step over that line. We take too much food and are overweight and have complicated health issues, we take too much alcohol and say and do hurtful things we would never do if sober, we take too much sugar and end up anything but sweet, we spend too much money and suffer crippling financial burden, we demand bigger and better homes, so clear land; destroying nature and the homes of necessary wildlife, we want more gadgets and mod cons so demand a relentless supply of energy. We are conditioned to be takers.

We have all to varying degrees bought into the lies; bigger is better, that we need more and more stuff to give life meaning and that the more we can take and prove by the evidence of our lifestyle, the more successful we are. Commercialism and advertising have totally brainwashed us to believe more, more, more will make us happy, important, valuable. What a con!

Animals in the wild do not take any more than what they need. They kill to survive, they share with their pack and there is a system in nature where everything is used and has a purpose. Likewise Australian aboriginal people lived in harmony with the land and nature for many, many, moons through taking what they needed, sharing with their tribe and protecting the eco system. It is only sophisticated? man who takes, rapes, exploits, wastes, hoards and destroys.

The second principle of a Christmas which blesses both people and planet is to be mindful that what is meant to be a blessing can so easily turn to be a curse. Just take less of everything, take what is needed, be prepared to share, reduce waste, lighten your carbon footprint. The planet and your bank balance will thank you.

The resources and provisions of the planet are provided by the Creator to be a blessing; it is we who take too much and turn them into a curse.

Blessings.