First Baptist Church of Herndon

You don't have to hug a tree

Linda Soller | Feb 20, 2017

You know you don’t have to hug a tree to demonstrate an appreciation of the natural world around you. But did you know that tree hugging as a political statement goes back to the early 1700s when people in Bishnoi villages in India literally hugged the trees in their village so the government would not chop them all down? The people believed in living with nature and appreciated the value of their trees for their shade, and fruits, and their beauty. To this day many of those villages are considered havens in otherwise desolate areas of India. To be called a “tree-hugger” implies you are an environmentalist in the sense you place a high value on the natural properties of our world. Some use the term in a negative way to say you go to extremes and place more value on nature than mankind. I feel pretty certain that we all would agree there needs to be a balance between true basic needs of mankind and protecting our natural world.

A few years ago I purchased a “Green Bible”.  As it happens the cover is green, but the unique trait of this Bible is that wherever there’s a reference to nature and taking care of nature the lettering is in green. These references go throughout the Bible directing us to care for the world we have been so graciously given. Often the conflicts we see between man and nature come from a person, or company, or group of people placing more value on their desires than they place on the harmony of man with nature. We all understand we need food, water and shelter, but sometimes these conflicts arise from “self-serving” endeavors, where the culprits are not really concerned with helping anyone but themselves. Love is not self-serving.

Since February is the month where we celebrate love, it seems like a good time to celebrate your love for nature. Maybe you feed the birds in your yard, or plant a new tree to replace one which has died, or maybe you become more diligent in your recycling efforts. You don’t have to hug a tree to love the world God gave us. Tread gently on the earth, wake each day and be amazed at the world around you, and be thankful for the opportunities you have to enjoy it.

Celebrate the love of nature!     : o)  Linda

Don’t believe me? Open your Bible and read 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8.