In the end I told God I would try to do better.

 Good morning,

I pray the day finds you well.

As you know I have been pondering Heaven, which causes me to ponder God and His creation. I came in to the "Y" and our fancy-dancy white board in the lobby read "Earth Day" (Obviously I wrote this the other day since it is not Earth Day today). 

God is a funny duck.

Here we were, God and I, having this conversation about His creation; and for us on this tiny blue planet we, or maybe me, as I can actually only speak for myself, think about earth when we, or maybe just me, think about His creation.

When I think about God and earth and me, as I can only speak for myself. I am reminded of a gift my father gave me right before I graduated from High school. 

It was the spring of 1977 and I had gotten home from the state wrestling championship, where I was busy getting pinned yet again, around 5am. My father woke me up at 7am, obviously he had gotten home from watching me count the lights on the ceiling in the gym of the state championship wrestling tournament, which by the way there were 42 lights, 5 were burnt out. I was tired, beat up, and sore. I did not want to get up, but dad was persistent. I ended up dressed and in the car by 7:30am. He drove me to Zimbelman's Chevy. He walked up to a car in the lot and handed me the keys! 

I said, "What's this?"  

Dad said, "It's a car!"

I said, "I know that!"

Dad said, "Why did you ask then?"

We had lots of conversations like that when I was growing up. I guess that is how I got so smart. 

Dad went on and said, "I bought this for you so you would come home from college and visit once in a while." He was afraid that I would leave and never come home. As sweet as that was, it was a real fear for him. My older sister had left for college 6-years before and never returned. Later in life she admitted that she was a bit of an ass when she was young. 

I said, "Thank you dad, I could have bought my own car." 

Dad said, "I know but it wouldn't have been as nice as this one."

I said, "You are right about that!"

Dad had bought me a brand new Chevy Chevette! Chevy Chevette's were quite the car. They even came a hole in the floorboard so you could stick your feet through and help it get started moving by pushing with your feet. I called it the Flintstone mobile. Have I ever mentioned that the wind blows in Kansas? The running joke was, "The wind doesn't blow in Kansas, it's just Nebraska sucks." 

When I drove the car with the wind I could do 70-miles per hour. When I drove the car against the wind I topped out at 35mph. 

I loved that car. I loved it not because it was a great car, it wasn't. I loved it because my father gave it to me. He gave that car to me and never asked for anything in return. That car was mine, I could do whatever I wanted to that car. I could have driven it off a cliff if I wanted to. I didn't though, my father had given me this gift and I was going to take care of it. If I had driven it off a cliff my father would have still loved me, he would have been disappointed in me for not taking care of the gift he gave me, but he would still love me. He never would have given me another car though. Although, when I think about, he never gave me another car anyway. 

I kept that car for a long time. I gave it my younger sister when she needed a car. I told everyone I had given her a Vette. I didn't really lie, I just let them think what they wanted. I am gracious that way. 

As I was talking to God, before I knew it was "Earth Day," I thought about my dad and the gift he had given me. Actually, God reminded of it, He said, "I gave the earth to humanity to love and to live on. I didn't ask for anything in return. Humanity could do with it as they pleased. Humanity could cherish it or destroy it, I will still love Humanity. Just like your father I would be disappointed if Humanity destroys my gift but it doesn't mean I will stop loving Humanity. But, I am not giving humanity another earth if they do." 

I thought about my conversation with God. I began to ponder how I might have taken better care of the gift God gave us than I have. How I am not paying close enough attention and remembering to be thankful of His gift. 

In the end I told God I would try to do better. 

Something to ponder.

Blessings,

Roger