If you find honey, eat just enough – too much of it, and you will vomit.

If you find honey, eat just enough – too much of it, and you will vomit.

Prov 25:16

Greetings from the Manse,

When do we have too much?

I have been struck these last few weeks of the research that has been done into the amount of plastic there is in the world. In 2016 the World Economic Forum quoted a report that says every year 8 million tonnes of plastic waste enters the oceans of our planet.

I’m amazed when I watch Bear Grylls Celebrity Island that the beaches of the deserted island are covered in plastic discarded by consumers unaware that when we throw things away there is no away!

Can I ask you a question ‘How is your home’? Is it junk free, or is it like mine,  with the odd pile of junk mail, old photo frames, old toys, things that are never used and saved ‘just in case’ or as we say in our home ‘We’re keeping that for Justin’!

The bible verse above speaks into the consumerism that we get so easily entangled in. We buy, we borrow, we are given and we consume, forgetting that things can be recycled, reused, repaired. The problem with recycling is its awkward, it takes time and it’s not convenient.

In Colchester our recycling system has changed. The council are trying to get people to throw out less and to think about what we through out. I’m sure there are also economic reasons for the decisions around waste collection but the idea that we should become more aware of what we do with our waste is an admirable one and one that we should all consider as we seek to look after the creation that God has made so precisely.

I wouldn’t describe myself as a militant environmentalist but surely it makes sense not to consume until we are a world sick with junk.

This month lets think about creation and our role in it. I would urge you to consider what small thing you can do to make a difference and live with ‘just enough’.

Every Blessing,

Geoff.