ENVIRONMENTAL WELLNESS

“The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed” – Genesis 2:8

The seventh dimension of Wellness to consider is what has been called ENVIRONMENTAL WELLNESS: “The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed” (Gen.2:8). This scripture speaks of environmental wellness; while the fifteenth verse relates to both environmental and vocational wellness: “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to TEND and KEEP it” (Gen.2:15). Prior to the Fall, humanity enjoyed all dimensions of Wellness optimally: spiritual, emotional or mental, physical, social, financial, vocational, and environmental.

This Genesis passage points to the fact that God places great value on humanity’s environment and impact on wellness. Having spoken the universe into existence, the Lord God took a handful of His creation, formed and fashioned the dust of the earth into the human body, and breathed into the nostrils, the breath of life (v.7). He then planted and shaped Eden – a watered Garden and a place of peace and pleasures – to be the ideal environment for this Crown of His creation. God provided all species of trees for enjoyment and for food (v.9a), plus rivers, tributaries, and precious gems – good gold, bdellium, and onyx stone (vv.10-14). God surrounded Man with sufficient and overflowing supplies of the best of nature – clean, pollution-free air, water, flora and Fiona.

Another pointer from the Genesis account is that the foundational aspect of Environmental Wellness relates to the home setting. The ideal home was a garden, not a concrete box! Sometimes, all that may be required for health and wellness, is to make some changes around the home life. Environmental Wellness focuses on what is around us on a daily basis and how our surrounding affects us positively or negatively. Considerations around the home environment include: cleanliness; avoidance of dust, grime, clutter, and germ-breeding stagnant water; safety; shade, and preservation and integration of nature.

Environmental Wellness also relates to our planet and how we care for the God-given natural resources. An important indicator of Environmental Wellness is the respect we show to the Creator by our stewardship of creation. A sound perspective to scriptures will lead to the awareness of this environmental challenge: We’re not mere dwellers in space; rather, we’re called to care for, defend, protect, and sustain – “tend and keep” – our God-positioned Place on the planet, expressing our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation. According to Leviticus 25: 1-7, the land itself must be given rest and not abused. Deuteronomy 23: 12-14 which forbids contaminating the land with human waste, is perhaps the world’s pioneering sanitation and anti-pollution law.

The earth is God’s creation: “The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein” (Psa.24:1). As humans, and especially, as Believers in Christ, we have been entrusted to preserve our environment. Essentially, Environmental Wellness relates to how our environment affects our Health and Wellness. It involves incorporating nature in life in order to enjoy a sense of peace and wellness. It relates to the impact and therapeutic effects of our surroundings on our wellness. The Psalmist probably had this in mind: “He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters” (Psa.23:2).

The environment can be an enhancer or a stressor. Environmental factors can contribute to physical, psychological, and social concerns, which can in turn adversely affect one’s ability to take care of self and family, to serve others, and to commune with God. Common environmental stressors that were not part of God’s original pattern include: famine, drought, inadequate drinking water, extremities of climate change, flooding, air pollution, noise pollution, inadequate shelter, and poor infrastructure. These are veritable causes of physical and mental ill-health, high levels of stress, decreased productivity, reduced human comfort and quality-of-life.

This is God’s Promise to guide us into our Place in Destiny: “The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (Isa.58:11).