Right Effort: Choosing a cause

God be in my head, and in my understanding; God be in mine eyes, and in my looking; God be in my mouth, and in my speaking: god be in mine heart, and in my thinking; God be at my end, and and my departing. - John Rutter

This is the sixth installment in the series the Eightfold Path of Environmental Action. This series offers helpful information and tips related to climate change and the environment. It is a companion to The Seed, a short film that will be launched at the end of the Season of Creation on October 4, 2020.

Serving others has been a Christian virtue since the dawn of Christianity. This is one of the ways we can try to follow in the footsteps of Christ. "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others." (Philippians 2:4).  Climate and environmental advocacy endeavors to preserve the integrity of Creation for future generations.  These interrelated crises are among the most important causes because they represent serious global threats to all of Creation. It is also a key social justice issue because climate change and environmental degradation disproportionately impact the poor, the vulnerable and people of colour.

However, for Christians and others there are literally thousands of worthy climate and environment related causes, including everything from weather proofing church buildings to environmental justice. You cannot be all things to all causes, so to be effective you may want to focus your efforts. To do so, you may want  to start by assessing your gifts.  For many Christians, making this determination requires what the Apostle Paul called the gift of discerning of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10).

There is no uniform way of choosing a cause, but here are some suggestions that may help. As reviewed in a previous post, the word "vocation" originated in Christianity, it is a central tenet of Christian belief that God has created each person with gifts and talents oriented toward specific purposes and a way of life.  The first thing you may want to do is explore your gifts and talents.

Once you have identified your gifts and talents you may want to consider your interests and review the available resources. You may also want to inquire about the most pressing issues where you live. Then you may want to investigate these issues and the organizations that fit with your skills and your assessment of the most important issues.

One of the organizations you may want to consider is the Anglican Church of Canada's, Green Churches Network which aims to empower faith communities to care for God's Creation by adopting environmentally aware practices.

Click here to see the SEC's short film The Seed.

Related
Introducing the SEC's Eightfold Path of Environmental Action
Right Understanding: Knowing the facts about climate change
Right Thought: How we think about the natural world
Right Speech: Effective environmental communications
Right Action: Making smaller footprints
Right Works: Efforts that benefit the planet
Right Effort: Choosing a cause
Right Concentration: Staying focused on creation
Right Mindfulness: Managing ecological stress