My Spiritual Thoughts…..
Consumption…Bottled Water…
by Kennedy Blackwell-Lewis

Have you ever thought about how what you consume affects your relationship with God? Kennedy Blackwell-Lewis, a high school senior in Dublin, Georgia has.

Most people, Christians included, struggle daily with the desire to fulfill their worldly wants. They go to church on Sunday, they go to bible study on Wednesday, and they say their prayers at night, but what about the other hours left in their weeks? The definition of consumption is the act of consuming, as by use, decay, or destruction. Instead of fulfilling our simple bodily needs, we often over consume, eating more food, using more materials, or taking more aid than necessary. In doing this, we attempt to fill some type of void, but what is that void?

We go to church, lifting our voices to sing, telling Him that He is all we need and desire, but in reality, we fail to act in this way. What void are we trying to fill? What do we find in food or drinks that could possibly be better than the many blessings God can bestow upon us? The most simplistic answer to this question would be convenience. By nature, humans desire matters of the flesh because they can easily be executed. We can call on God all the time, but waiting for an answer often repels people and pushes them toward what they can receive quickly and simply on earth. For example, we often run towards bottled water for the simple reason that it is convenient. We don't have to obtain a cup, filter the water, and wash the cup later; however, constantly seeking convenience destroys the environment, creating more pollution, using up valuable resources. In the same manner, when we seek convenience in our spiritual life, we destroy our relationship with God. Every action possesses an equal and opposite reaction, and seeking convenience may benefit an individual immediately, but the long term effects prove to be unfavorable.

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Reflection Questions and Prayer by the Rev. Mary Beene:

Convenience is usually a positive, powerful word in our society. After all, there is never enough time for everything. How do you seek convenience in your everyday life? Do you see ways your personal searches for convenience negatively affect God’s creation?

What about convenience when it comes to God? Do you take time for a relationship with God through prayer and study, worship and fellowship? Or do you look for convenient ways to fit God around the other parts of your life? Do you know the term “church-shopping?” Have you ever thought that we might make “God” and the church of Jesus Christ just more things to try to consume?

Consider this prayer, inspired by Kennedy’s words:
God, who provides all we need and can fill every void in our hearts. Forgive us when we try to consume you instead of worship and trust you. Forgive us when we eat more food, use more materials and take more aid than is necessary, trying to fill a void that can only be filled with real love for you and from you. Let us not value convenience over the well-being of your people and your creation. And help us spend time with you, not seeking convenience, but seeking your will and a deeper relationship with your Son, Jesus, in whom we now pray. Amen.

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Kennedy Blackwell-Lewis is a senior at Dublin High School in Dublin, GA. Her aspirations are Child Psychology and Psychiatry. Just to mention some of Kennedy’s most recent accomplishments: She’s 1st in Her Class throughout High School Years, 1st Vice President Student Council, a Lauren’s Youth Leadership Graduate, and a Georgia Merit Scholar. Her mother, Cherise Blackwell, is a leader in Dublin R.I.S.I.N.G., a grant recipient for the M.K. Pentecost Ecology Fund, an environmental grant making program of Savannah Presbytery, for their work to restore an urban park in downtown Dublin.

Reflection questions and prayer by the Rev. Mary Beene, a member of the EARTH team and pastor of Faith Presbyterian Church in Rincon, GA. She also coordinates the M.K. Pentecost Ecology Fund for Savannah Presbytery.