Seen from space, the earth is beautiful, like a bright blue marble with white swirls encircling it amidst colors of brown, yellow, and green. It is amazing to think that we, as children of God, have been given loving dominion over it!
In Genesis, we read that God gave man “dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth” (1:26). This dominion is not about domination. It does not include a license to abuse or harm, but rather transcends manipulative control with peace and equanimity to appreciate and cherish all creation. We can look beyond the physical appearance of a bird, a fish, or anything on the earth and perceive the spiritual qualities it expresses. Exercising this dominion over our own thinking enables us to be a healing influence in the world.
When thinking about our environment and the call to action, on many fronts, to care for and protect it, it is comforting to know that we all have this precious gift of dominion and can therefore know how to wisely proceed in showing forth the blessings this God-given dominion can bring to the earth.
