This spring seems to be particularly resplendent with colour and beauty the blossom on the trees particularly the magnolia trees, the blaze of yellow forsythia and the hosts of golden daffodils.
As we look at the beauty of nature perhaps it might prompt each of us to think more closely about our stewardship of the environment and the damage which has already been done to it by the way we live in this postmodern western society. We hear a lot about living more greenly with a greater care and awareness of the fragility of our ecosystem.
Yet 1.1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate water supplies, 2.6 billion lack basic sanitation and millions live at starvation level and every 3 seconds a child dies from extreme poverty.
The natural resources of the world are not equally distributed.
Exploitation and greed play a large part in the struggle for survival for many people and countries. Lack of care for the environment also plays its part.
As a person of faith, I give thanks to God who created this world in which we live. But it should not stop there.
If I truly value what God has given me, then I should take care of it and work towards ways in which it can be shared equally with all people.
That may also mean looking at our own personal carbon footprint and actually seeing if there are ways in which we could reduce it to conserve the earth which we enjoy, for future generations.
The Revd Jane Kraft is Associate Area Dean, writing on behalf of Churches Together in Wokingham
