For the next several weeks, folks from Rainbow will be offering short reflections on Micah 6:8: He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Terry Rouse in front of the tiny house he built and lives in.
My question to Terry Rouse was this: How does Micah 6:8 fit with the way you live your life?
Here is his response along with some photos and captions from me.
Act justly
The first word that comes to mind is fairness. Fairness with those with whom I have interactions is the first layer. But fairness with those I will never know brings up a deeper question for my life. How I live my life affects people all around the world and people yet unborn. How can I reduce my footprint on this earth? Meat production consumes a lot of water and energy so I moderate my consumption of meat. If I can, I ride my bike or take the bus. I also carpool when I can, but I still drive much more than I want. There are days when I succumb to the comfort and convenience of driving. I built the smallest house that would provide for my daily life. It gets all of its electricity from the sun. It has a composting toilet and that helps keep my daily water consumption at around 5 gallons a day. It has a solar water heater that provides my hot water on sunny days. It has South facing windows that keep it warm (so far) on sunny days. I do use propane for heating and cooking. I am looking for ways to reduce that. Whenever the sun is shining I feel blessed.
Love mercy
To me this means to live in a state of forgiveness. It is the hardest of the three for me. It is hard enough for me to forgive others, but often I find it harder to forgive myself. I have started to notice that sometimes when I am angry at someone, it is often a mirror of anger I have towards myself because I did not do a good job of taking care of myself.
Walk humbly
I was raised to be independent and self reliant. There may be some virtue in that, but it leaves a hole in my heart. It leaves no place for gratitude. I bought a trailer on which to build my tiny house with no idea of where I would put it when it was finished. Within the first week of buying the trailer I had two offers. I had several other offers, but ended up leaving it in the parking lot where I built it because the Arts Asylum has been so supportive and it had better solar access than the other sites. Being in a place of vulnerability and receiving kindness has introduced me to the joys of gratitude.
You can learn more about Terry’s house project by clicking on the following links:
http://www.kansascity.com/living/home-garden/article23435838.html
http://meredithaz.worldnow.com/story/29086047/pint-size-trend-tiny-house-movement-reaches-metro
over and around the rainbow 