Genesis 2:15 — And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

There are many ways in which we can devote our energy and passion. We have to be selective to be effective. For that reason I don’t often indulge my “environmental” bump. But I do have a deep seated love both for England, where I was raised and the corner of America in which I am now blessed to live. Sometimes I hear or see something that stirs up a desire to “do something” about the careless neglect of the garden that God gave us to tend.
For some time now Myra and I have been saddened by the seemingly inevitable drift to extinction of the Florida Panther. This beautiful animal is down to less than 100 now, and it seems we hear, almost monthly, of yet another panther being killed on the local roads. You might wonder why such a precious species is not being fought for, tooth and nail by those with the power and influence to do so. Sadly, it seems that there is all too clear an understanding that the loss of the Florida Panther is an inevitable consequence of the erosion of their habitat as land is taken for commercial and residential building and the supporting infrastructure. The development is “required” so the consequences are ignored.
Then there’s the water vole in my native England. It was called back to mind when I heard a piece on the radio a few days ago. Now I know some people will think of the water vole as just another rodent. But anyone who has seen these river dwellers will surely know that they are a graceful and maybe even vital part of the ecosystem. The Water Vole, too, is being driven to extinction. This time it’s not a predictable but ignored consequence. Rather, it’s an unintended consequence. Let me tell you what happened.
In times past (not so long ago) ladies wore fur coats. One of the most prized furs was that of the mink — black, sleek and beautiful. So popular was the mink coat that special farms we created — “mink ranches” to industrialize production. But then a tender hearted animal rights movement lobbied fiercely against the cruelty of the practice. Eventually the farms were closed. If the farms were closed, what to do with the mink? To simply kill them would be unthinkable … so they were just released into the wild. Well, a mink’s got to eat … and it turns out that mink are vicious and successful predators … and that’s where the Water Vole comes in … as breakfast, lunch and dinner. So really, no bad intentions here. Just unintended consequences. Truly, the road to hell … or extinction … can be paved with good intentions, your own and others’.
What do you suppose God will do about those unintended and ignored consequences? We are talking about the God here who “will by no means let the guilty go unpunished”. Do you think He’s going to say “Well, I know you meant to dress and keep my garden, so I’ll give you credit for good intentions”? Or will He rather say “How come you didn’t think more about the consequences of your actions and take better care of what I gave you?”?
As I said at the beginning, we have to be selective about where we invest our energy — but perhaps, without making an all-out environmental push, we can try to live a life that’s just a little more “garden friendly”?