Thrive on Less Destruction: Reclaiming Our Role as Stewards of Creation

In a world driven by endless consumption, expansion, and self-centered growth, humanity has become a parasite rather than a partner in creation. Everywhere we turn, we see signs of destruction—forests cleared, rivers poisoned, species disappearing, and the skies thick with smoke. What’s even more disturbing is that we no longer bat an eye.

Every spring, the roads are littered with the corpses of raccoons, turtles, squirrels, skunks, deer, rabbits, and birds. These are not just accidents—they are consequences of a society that has chosen convenience over compassion and asphalt over life. Once-diurnal animals like deer have now turned nocturnal, not by choice, but by survival. We’ve pushed them into the shadows with our cities, highways, and relentless noise.

God did not create us to dominate through destruction. In Eden, Adam was placed among animals not as a conqueror, but as a caretaker. He was given dominion with responsibility, not entitlement. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). We were meant to live in harmony, not as the plague of creation.

Hypocrisy in Population Control

Humans believe they have the right to control animal populations, often justifying mass culls or habitat destruction in the name of “balance.” But who controls human population?

We breed endlessly, and with each new life comes disposable diapers, feminine hygiene products, and non-biodegradable packaging — most of which ends up in landfills. Recycling, when available, is treated like a luxury. You have to pay to keep the Earth clean, as if sustainability is a privilege and not a duty.

Meanwhile, we build massive homes on cleared land — often for just one couple — in the name of modern opulence. These stolen lands, once home to wildlife and fertile with trees, can no longer absorb rainwater, filter air, or produce oxygen. The environment is suffocating under concrete.

And when questioned, people say, “This is my property.” But let’s not forget that all land in America was once Indigenous land, now stolen and claimed, while Native people live confined to dwindling reserves. The spiritual connection to nature that the first peoples respected has been erased and replaced with fences, lawn ornaments, and deed papers.

Consumerism and the Cult of Convenience

Deforestation is at an all-time high, with trees cleared to produce commercial goods like palm oil — a key ingredient in snacks like Nutella. Ironically, these same products contribute to obesity, and yet society discourages us from even acknowledging the health crisis. You’re not supposed to “fat-shame”, because consumerism must be protected at all costs.

Instead of feeding the land, we pave it. Instead of sharing the earth, we fence it. Golf courses, once symbols of status, are green deserts soaked in pesticides, offering no benefit to our ecosystem. Yet these barren acres are maintained while animals lose their homes, and water sources become polluted.

America — and the world — is breathtaking in its natural beauty. But human behavior is destroying it faster than it can recover. Our planet gives, and gives, and gives… and we give nothing back.

Water — A Holy Resource We Defile Daily

Let us pause and reflect on this: we defecate and urinate in fresh water every single day. Clean, sacred water — more precious than gold — is polluted on an industrial scale. Humanity uses it with the arrogance of a god and the foresight of a fool. “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it” (Psalm 24:1), yet we treat it as disposable.

We justify this behavior because animals can’t talk back. They don’t pay taxes or buy products. Their value in modern society is measured by how much they can serve human pleasure or profit. But God values them differently. Jesus said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God” (Luke 12:6). What we dismiss, God remembers.

A World of Vanity and Violence

Human death is mourned; animal death is ignored. Why? Because their suffering doesn’t interrupt our economy. Because we’ve convinced ourselves that we alone matter. This is not dominion. This is destruction.

As Scripture reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3:19, “Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both.” We are not superior beings with a free pass to wreck creation. We are fragile, finite creatures who have lost our sense of place in the divine order.

God’s Command Is Still Clear

We were never meant to destroy, only to care and coexist. Every bird, every fox, every river and mountain bears witness to the fingerprints of God. When we tear these things apart, we are not just killing animals—we are defiling His work. God didn’t call us to supremacy. He called us to stewardship.

“A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel.” — Proverbs 12:10

Let us Thrive on Less Destruction by choosing responsibility over recklessness. Let us repent from the sin of ecological arrogance and return to the role we were given: protectors, not plunderers.

We are not here to conquer the earth, but to coexist in sacred balance. When we choose to live with less greed and more reverence, we don’t just save the world — we save our soul.