Canyon Ministries

Cigarette Butt Guy

Cigarette Butt Guy

I’ve had the opportunity to travel a fair amount, and from my experience, I don’t see that we (man, in general) have been taking good care of this home the Lord created for us. It doesn’t matter if you live in Los Angeles; New York; No Name, CO; or some third-world country, to some degree all are the same. Trash cans be found almost everywhere. (And yes, there really is a city called “No Name” in Colorado.)

Amazingly, one of the things you will find on a trip through the Grand Canyon is the pristine environment. The old saying, “Take only pictures and leave only footprints” has really taken hold here. It is highly unusual to find any form of trash left on a beach or along a trail. Here, trash goes in your pocket instead of being carelessly dropped. Thirty-plus people can camp on a beach, and still leave nothing more than footsteps, which will soon be blown or washed away.

Over 20,000 people travel the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon each year, and yet it is still pristine. What is the difference between the streets of a big city and a trail in the Grand Canyon? The difference is in the stewardship people are pressed into while on a trip. The guides who work in the Grand Canyon, whether they work for Canyon Ministries or an outfitter, are dedicated to keeping the place clean. They instruct people right from the start that leaving any kind of trash is not acceptable. And it works! People see it is clean, and they work to keep it that way. And it is also easy! It is just about as easy to put that candy bar wrapper in your pocket or the trash as dropping it on the ground.

The Scriptures tell us to take care of this “home” the Lord created for us called Earth. Genesis 2:15 provides us with the first instruction God gave to mankind to “keep” the earth. It says, “Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.” This is man’s first divinely-given responsibility for which he must be obedient to God. The word “keep” has the idea of caring for or protecting. (It is sometimes translated “take care of” or “care for.”) Adam’s responsibility for his God-given home is an example we cannot ignore. In case we don’t quite yet get the picture, Genesis 1:27-28 also tell us to subdue and rule over the earth, also implying the same responsibility to care for our God-given home, this planet.

Dr. Bill Barrick, in his paper The Noachic Covenant’s Impact on Caring for Creation says, “Fortunately, we in America live in an age of environmental awareness, despite the abuse heaped upon it by litterers and polluters.” The awareness is there; we just need more follow-through.

If the same consideration were given to our cities (where we spend the majority of our time) that is given to the canyon (where people spend but a few days), we would have a more beautiful place in which to live. And it is the Scriptural thing to do. The verses in Genesis are not simple suggestions. God is not saying, “Why don’t you think about doing this?” He is telling us what we should do. What is He going to think when He comes back to this mess His children have created?

Why am I rambling on about this? It all started some 25+ years ago with Cigarette Butt Guy, a passenger on one of my trips. On the 3^rd day of the trip, we were walking back to the boat after playing in the Little Colorado River (one of the most beautiful places in the canyon). I asked him what his impression of the canyon was so far, and his response was something like this, “One of the things that has impressed me the most is how clean the canyon is. You know Tom, I’ve been throwing cigarette butts on the ground for 30 years, but I swear to you I’ll never do it again.”

Now I don’t know if Cigarette Butt Guy kept his promise, and cigarette butts are not the only problem, but the point is that in just a few days, it becomes obvious to all how we treat God’s creation. I hope you will join us on a trip through one of the grandest (and cleanest) canyons in the world and see for yourself just how easy it is to follow the Lord’s command.

Your 2017 reservations can be made on our River Trip Information & Schedule page.

Peace,

Tom