Going Green

I consistently see and hear the buzz phrase “going green” as it is daily referenced by various media. One of the components of this vast campaign is to encourage people to waste less through the repurposing or recycling of items. Because God would never want His children to be wasteful, I carefully considered if this principle could be applied to Christ followers.

Since God has purpose in all things, we can reflect His character and truth as we learn to implement the principle of “repurposing” in our daily lives. For example, when we experience adversity, it can often result in hurt, grief, discouragement, and eventual despair. But, what if we repurposed each experience of adversity?

You see, when we accept defeat rather than victory in times of adversity, the experience appears to be void of purpose and is therefore, wasted (having no spiritual significance). However, when we choose to see the experience from God’s perspective it can be spiritually repurposed by allowing Him to convert it into something useful. Romans 5:3-5 teaches us that suffering produces perseverance which produces character and character produces hope in Christ Jesus that never disappoints. Because God desires to use our circumstances to bring Him honor we can repurpose our adversity by allowing it to develop perseverance and godly character within us.

Parents can also teach children to “go green” in their spiritual lives. For example, it is significant for a child to develop a strong work ethic which is one of the ways we exhibit Christ-likeness. However, God desires for His followers to take the attribute of diligently working in temporal employment and repurpose it into selfless service for His eternal kingdom.

In another example, God’s Word commands each of us to make disciples of others (Matthew 28:19). Because God desires for His Word to be continually put to use, a child should not only study God’s Word for himself, but should commit to repurpose that knowledge. This is accomplished by instilling biblical truth and encouraging practical application in the lives of others.

Lives that live sold out to Jesus Christ should continually flourish for His kingdom, thereby demonstrating a new definition for “going green.”