Have you thought about the meaning of our prayer “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”? As Christians, it is our goal to actively be seeking ways to bring God’s kingdom to earth. What does that look like in this world? What does that look like for you personally? In his book, Surprised by Hope, Scholar and Theologian, N.T. Wright talks about what we do on earth matters:
“The point of the resurrection…is that the present bodily life is not valueless just because it will die…What you do with your body in the present matters because God has a great future in store for it…What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbour as yourself—will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether (as the hymn so mistakenly puts it…). They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom” (Wright 193).
By living intentionally, we can bring God’s kingdom to earth. This can come in many different forms but one of the ways we can live more intentionally is learning about the things we buy.
Others Trade for Hope is a Salvation Army endeavor mainly based out of Bangladesh and Kenya that provides artisans with an opportunity to make and sell products for a living wage. You can support this by buying products through Trade Central (tradecentral.org). Although most of the products are bought primarily for our enjoyment, not out of necessity, these products would make the perfect gift for someone you needed a gift for anyways!
These are just a couple ways to become a more ethical consumer. The way each person is able to adapt to consume more ethically looks different because we all have different circumstances in life. By committing to change your habits and encouraging other people to join, you are helping bring God’s kingdom to earth.
Learn more about Others Trade for Hope: https://youtu.be/bQH6ougg-78
Learn more about Ethical Consumerism: https://issuu.com/isjc/docs/ethical_consumerism