A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of might, the Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the Lord— and he will delight in the fear of the Lord. (Isaiah 11:1-2)
There is massive depletion of the tree cover in most parts of Uganda in a bid to get firewood for fuel and timber. God’s creation is groaning with littering, pollution and degradation that affect so much of the living organisms in the soil. This denies life to those creatures and creates a depleted environment. Extinction of such has a bearing on human life and impacts generations.
There is evident extinction and depletion of the valuable tree species and forest cover. It is very painful to see the tree cover depleted indiscriminately. This involves at its worst, removing the tree stumps for the final extinction through charcoal burning. This destroys food and medication for both animals and human beings and is leading to untold deficiencies in human dietary needs.
During such a season like Christmas, our hope is renewed and revealed through the born King of peace, and Messiah, our purpose rejuvenated and focus reshaped.
Undoubtedly, firewood and timber are critical to have but how sustainable will it be for the next generation? Consequently, young people impatiently wait for the demise and departure of their ageing parents to sell off the land for a meagre living. Then more problems abound. There is forced migration from rural communities to urban centres. A stress on the social and economic wellbeing and infrastructure is a looming catastrophe for the future generation.
As the African saying goes, “the embryo in the mother’s womb cannot ex-communicate itself from the host environment”. And if it does, all sorts of complications are bound to happen. Unfortunately, while there is a choice of what to do with the environment entrusted to us as stewards, the magnitude of the consequences are beyond human control. It goes without saying adverse disasters, calamities and related challenges are eminent in our communities.
With all the desperate situations exploitation, manipulation and depletion of all kinds around us leaves many in the world to grieve and groan, where is our hope? During such a season like Christmas, our hope is renewed and revealed through the born King of peace, and Messiah, our purpose rejuvenated and focus reshaped. An assurance and promise of the stumps to regrow and bear fruit in the New Year 2023.
Photo by Azimbek Assarov on Unsplash
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