Have you ever wondered … What Would Jesus Do? This is the revised version of a post published at The Holly Tree Tales on 30 April 2015.
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In my quietest moments, and sometimes even in the midst of a current or a raging storm, I wonder to myself “What would Jesus do?”
Over twenty years ago, I sat on a panel in London, speaking to an audience of other Christians who attended the Church I loved to be part of too, and I told them from my heart that I believed we needed to take care of our bodies, our ‘temples of the Holy Spirit’. My voice was a lone one in the room that night … and many times since, amongst similar crowd.
A few years after ‘sitting’ on the panel in London, I stood on a beautiful property in Australia, longing with all my heart to convert it to organic, and I told the ones whom I was with at the time, whom I also loved, that we believers have to take care of the Earth. I was looked askance at, many a time.
Once, when my little daughter ran up to a tree and lovingly hugged it (as she had seen done, I’m sure, on Sesame Street – but the action clearly came straight from her heart), I was looked askance at, as her mother. My daughter was told that she was a “Tree Hugger”. That was not heard by me as an endearing term and I was horrified from whence it came. I walked on, and sometimes I think I should have walked away. But I loved more, and I continued on my path.
As time has gone on, the fire has burnt ever brighter inside me. I have faced all sorts of ridicule and opposition to both my faith and my belief in how important it is that we show our love to the Earth. I have not wavered from my path, and nor have the many others who have been on this path too, around the world. We hear and see the messages, intellectual or otherwise, and the situation is now a critical one.
If Jesus walked into the room right now, I hope he would say I have been a faithful servant, but I do not know. All I know is that we are now hearing from religious leaders too, about caring for our planet, and I thank heaven that they have heard the message at last. I do not call myself ‘religious’; I have no rituals to my belief. I will not allow another to own me ever again, having been burnt too many times, but I have a reverence for God, my father, whom I believe created all of this. Listening to the Holy Spirit is fundamental to my life … that is spiritual, not religious. That is about relationship, not about religion.
I hope I am right in saying this: we must take care of our bodies, our temples, and we must take care of the Earth too. The Earth is our home while we live in our physical shapes, and it behoves us all to work towards its longevity and good health. Is that what Jesus would say? Is that what Jesus would do? I don’t know … but Genesis tells me clearly it is exactly what he would want to hear.
What of the Native American Indians, so in tune with who they are and where they came from? And what of the other tribes and groups who, too, remember their connection? I think Jesus would sit well in their midst, and they would all ‘take wine and break bread’ together, in reverence for our spirit and recognising the value of our beautiful Mother Earth.
Our bodies are our ‘temples’, our Earth is our ‘home’ … Surely we ought to do the same? Love them …
What would Jesus do, if he were walking the Earth?
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In mindfulness,
Holly x
PS. The original post can be viewed here: https://thehollytreetales.com/2015/04/30/what-would-jesus-do/.
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