Job 20:20-22 (NIV)
20 “Surely he will have no respite from his craving;
he cannot save
himself by his treasure.
21 Nothing is left for him to devour;
his prosperity
will not endure.
22 In the midst of his plenty, distress will overtake
him;
the full force
of misery will come upon him.
For every action, there is a reaction. Everything we do
in life has consequences, some positive, some catastrophic. The Klondike Gold
Rush was no different.
Although some of the prospective miners were driven by a
sense of adventure and by the desire to explore and see new things, many were
driven by greed and were ruthless in their methods of obtaining gold.
Primitive mining methods, such as digging sediments by
hand from stream banks and underground tunnels, seemed harmless enough; but
these left extensive damage to the stream and river beds. When the larger mines
were established, hillsides and entire mountains were plundered and silt and
mud filled the waterways. Forests were completely stripped in order to supply
timber for building boats and for feeding the fires needed to melt the
sediments.
As the twentieth century rolled around, the richest and
most easily accessed gold deposits had already been depleted, and harsher, more
destructive machinery, designed to reach the deeper deposits and process the
sediment faster, was brought in. High-pressure hoses completely knocked down
hills in the ruthless search, and huge dredges reworked entire waterways. The
destruction was colossal.
This total loss of natural habitat resulted in
annihilation of both land and aquatic wildlife. In addition, an overabundance
of mercury, which was used to process the gold, can still be found in the
Yukon. It has made its way up the food chain and still accumulates in fish and
other wildlife in alarming concentrations, resulting in health risks among
humans and animals alike.
The ones who suffered the most from extensive destruction
were the first nation's people, including the Tagish, the Tutchone, and the
Tlingit. Because of its massive mountain ranges, ice fields, harsh terrain, and
wild rivers, the Yukon had always been extremely hard to access; and before the
gold rush, these First Nations groups had been quite isolated from the outside
world. No wonder the Yukon was considered the last unexplored and unmapped
region in North America!
With the influx of white man seeking gold, all of this
changed. Miners brought diseases that the first peoples had no immunity to, and
in many areas, entire tribes were wiped out. Hunting and fishing grounds were
destroyed, making food sources scarce, and what wildlife remained was laced
with high concentrations of mercury. Some of the natives worked as packers or
as suppliers of wood for steamboats. They were unaccustomed to cash however,
and few ever profited. Their traditional lifestyle was lost forever.
Everything we do, everything we say, and even everything
we think can have dire consequences. In fact, I have never met anyone who could
assure me that all of his or her actions have always had positive consequences.
Except one.
The one who lovingly died on the cross to bring salvation
to this world.
He encouraged us with the following words: "Your eye
is a lamp, lighting up your whole body. If you live wide-eyed in wonder and
belief, your body fills up with light. If you live squinty-eyed in greed and
distrust, your body is a dank cellar. Keep your eyes open, your lamp burning,
so you don't get musty and murky. Keep your life as well-lighted as your
best-lighted room." (Luke 11:34-36 The Message)
"Since we've compiled this long and sorry record as
sinners and proved that we are utterly
incapable of living the glorious lives God wills for us, God did it for us. By
sending His Son to be born in a manger so that each of us can receive that free
gift of eternal life.
It's an offer worth considering, don't you think? The
beneficial consequences of accepting this offer will last throughout eternity!
Make this Christmas the time that You take that special gift.
Dear Lord, we thank You for the free gift of salvation
that You offer for each one of us. Forgive us of our many sins today. In Jesus’
name, Amen.
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