Commit Yourself
I read this tonight.
It’s the Shakertown Pledge.
Written in 1973.
Recognizing that Earth and the fullness thereof is a gift from our gracious God, and that we are called to cherish, nurture, and provide loving stewardship for Earth’s resources, and recognizing that life itself is a gift, and a call to responsibility, joy, and celebration, I make the following declarations:
- I declare myself a world citizen
- I commit myself to lead an ecologically sound life.
- I commit myself to lead a life of creative simplicity and to share my personal wealth with the world’s poor.
- I commit myself to join with others in the reshaping of institutions in order to bring about a more just global society in which all people have full access to the needed resources for their physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual growth.
- I commit myself to occupational accountability, and so doing I will seek to avoid the creation of products which cause harm to others.
- I affirm the gift of my body and commit myself to its proper nourishment and physical wellbeing.
- I commit myself to examine continually my relations with others and to attempt to relate honestly, morally, and lovingly to those around me.
- I commit myself to personal renewal through prayer, meditation, and study.
- I commit myself to responsible participation in a community of faith.
Wow. What could the Kingdom impact look like if we all actually committed ourselves to such things?
Which commitment stands out to you the most?
Where do you need to begin?
“I affirm the gift of my body” does that mean you’d actually donate a kidney to a friend now?
The first one stands out at the moment because of a debate I have been following about the national anthem. Aside from that, what interests me is that most of these are vague enough that one person’s implementation of them could be vastly different from another’s. I suspect most of us could commit ourselves to these, but in order to live them out we first need to define what that looks like for us personally.
Ok, after my initial response, I read the rest of them. I love this and hope that we all catch on to this lifestyle.
Who ARE you? Mr. Makes-Fun-Of-Recycling? Where is Bobby and what have you done with him?