Handing the Keys to Aviva’s Generation
By LONNIE KING
If you’ve followed RRLS for very long, you’ve probably figured out that some of my most random trains of thought begin in equally random places.
Sometimes it’s an old game show. Sometimes it’s a political headline.
This week? Laundry detergent. More specifically, a Facebook ad for environmentally friendly detergent sheets.
Yes…I actually watched a Facebook ad all the way to the end.
I know. I’m as surprised as you are.
Somewhere between posts and updates, an advertisement from an eco-friendly detergent company showed up in my feed. They had recently moved their manufacturing from China to Kentucky, and the ad focused on that change.
The product itself checks a lot of boxes for Dawn and me. Less plastic. Smaller packaging. Cleaner ingredients. A business model that, at least on the surface, seemed to care about reducing waste.
The owner explained why they had moved manufacturing back to the United States. Some of what he said made sense to me. Some of it made me wonder if there was more to the story.
Before long, I wasn’t thinking about laundry detergent anymore. I was thinking about stewardship.
Not just the stewardship of money. The stewardship of a world we don’t get to keep.
The Question Behind the Purchase
Please allow me to give you a little insight into who I am.
I’ve never been much for boycotts. Years ago, while I was deeply involved in Baptist ministry, there was a major push among some Christians to boycott Disney because the company supported LGBTQ employees and families. Even then, I remember thinking the whole thing felt strange.
I wasn’t looking to Disney for my theology. I was looking to Disney for family-friendly movies and an amusement park experience that would separate me from a large sum of cash.
That ‘boycott’ experience probably shaped the way I’ve approached consumer decisions ever since.
In spite of the fact that I have drastically altered my values over the years, or at least refined them, I don’t expect corporations to reflect my beliefs on every issue. They’re businesses, not churches.
But somewhere along the way, I realized that’s not the same thing as saying my purchases don’t matter.
When two products are roughly equal in quality and price, I believe it’s fair to ask whether one company is trying a little harder to leave the world better than it found it. Not because I expect perfection. Because I value intention.
Stewardship Is a Bigger Word Than I Was Taught
The word stewardship has been part of my vocabulary for most of my life.
Growing up in conservative evangelical churches, stewardship was a familiar topic. We talked about giving faithfully. We talked about church budgets. We talked about using our gifts wisely and taking care of the ministries God had entrusted to us.
Those conversations weren’t inherently wrong.
But looking back, I don’t remember many conversations about being good stewards of rivers. Or forests. Or clean air. Or the resources that every human being depends upon, regardless of what they believe.
Somehow, stewardship became closely connected to protecting our religious institutions. And somewhere along the way, we reduced stewardship to fundraising. But that’s not a biblical interpretation of the concept.
The creation story in Genesis begins with humanity being placed in a garden—not to exploit it, but to tend it. In the gospels, Jesus repeatedly praised servants who faithfully cared for things that belonged to someone else.
Neither picture is really about ownership. Both are about trust.
Whether someone believes those stories literally or simply appreciates the wisdom behind them, the principle still speaks to me. Good stewards understand that some things are temporarily in their care but were never truly theirs.
Maybe stewardship isn’t primarily about protecting organizations. Maybe stewardship is about protecting inheritance.
Becoming a Grandfather Changes the Math
I’ll be honest: I haven’t always been environmentally conscious.
When I was younger, I probably cared more about convenience than conservation. I wasn’t trying to waste resources. I just wasn’t thinking very far beyond my own lifetime.
Then our granddaughter, Aviva, came along.
She’s changed more than our family calendar. She’s changed my perspective.
When I stop and think about it, there’s a decent chance Aviva will still be alive after the year 2100. That’s a strange thing for a grandfather to imagine.
By then, I’ll have been gone for years. The decisions my generation makes won’t matter much to us anymore. But, they’ll matter to her.
So, when I recycle something, or choose a product with less plastic, or wonder where something is made, I’m not trying to save the planet single-handedly.
I’m thinking about a little girl who will inherit whatever my generation leaves behind.
It’s Not About Being Perfect
This doesn’t mean every purchase has to become a political statement. I don’t have the time—or the energy—to investigate every company I buy from. Neither do you.
Businesses are complicated. Most of them don’t fit neatly into ideological boxes, and I suspect many of them are simply trying to make good products while staying profitable.
I also know that no corporation is morally pure. So, at least for me, that’s not the standard.
The question isn’t whether a company is perfect.
The question is whether, when I have a meaningful choice, I can support businesses whose actions seem a little more consistent with the kind of future I hope my granddaughter inherits.
Sometimes the answer will be yes. Sometimes it won’t be as clear. Either way, that’s okay. Thoughtful decisions don’t require perfect information.
Every Generation Hands Over the Keys
Stewardship has always had less to do with ownership than caretaking. And it’s always been less about money than resources.
None of this really belongs to us. Not the forests. Not the rivers. Not our neighborhoods. Not the homes we’re paying a mortgage on. Not the institutions that make our communities work. Not even our democracy.
We inherited all of it from people who came before us and it is temporarily in our possession. But one day, we’ll hand it to people we’ve never met and who, for the most part, will never know us.
Because of that, this thought motivates my decisions now: people often protect what they expect to hand to the next generation.
Maybe that’s why becoming a grandfather has quietly changed the questions I ask.
I still want to buy products that offer good value. I still don’t believe in boycotts for the sake of making a statement. But every now and then, I pause long enough to ask one more question.
Not just, “Is this a good product?” But, “What kind of world does this purchase encourage?”
One box of laundry detergent won’t determine the future. I know that. But every generation eventually hands over the keys.
The question isn’t whether we’ll leave something behind. The question is what.
Grace and grit to you! –LK
This is SO good, I've gotta share it!
Related
Randomly Rudimentary Life Stuff 
Handing the Keys to Aviva’s Generation
By LONNIE KING
If you’ve followed RRLS for very long, you’ve probably figured out that some of my most random trains of thought begin in equally random places.
Sometimes it’s an old game show. Sometimes it’s a political headline.
This week? Laundry detergent. More specifically, a Facebook ad for environmentally friendly detergent sheets.
Yes…I actually watched a Facebook ad all the way to the end.
I know. I’m as surprised as you are.
Somewhere between posts and updates, an advertisement from an eco-friendly detergent company showed up in my feed. They had recently moved their manufacturing from China to Kentucky, and the ad focused on that change.
The product itself checks a lot of boxes for Dawn and me. Less plastic. Smaller packaging. Cleaner ingredients. A business model that, at least on the surface, seemed to care about reducing waste.
The owner explained why they had moved manufacturing back to the United States. Some of what he said made sense to me. Some of it made me wonder if there was more to the story.
Before long, I wasn’t thinking about laundry detergent anymore. I was thinking about stewardship.
Not just the stewardship of money. The stewardship of a world we don’t get to keep.
The Question Behind the Purchase
Please allow me to give you a little insight into who I am.
I’ve never been much for boycotts. Years ago, while I was deeply involved in Baptist ministry, there was a major push among some Christians to boycott Disney because the company supported LGBTQ employees and families. Even then, I remember thinking the whole thing felt strange.
I wasn’t looking to Disney for my theology. I was looking to Disney for family-friendly movies and an amusement park experience that would separate me from a large sum of cash.
That ‘boycott’ experience probably shaped the way I’ve approached consumer decisions ever since.
In spite of the fact that I have drastically altered my values over the years, or at least refined them, I don’t expect corporations to reflect my beliefs on every issue. They’re businesses, not churches.
But somewhere along the way, I realized that’s not the same thing as saying my purchases don’t matter.
When two products are roughly equal in quality and price, I believe it’s fair to ask whether one company is trying a little harder to leave the world better than it found it. Not because I expect perfection. Because I value intention.
Stewardship Is a Bigger Word Than I Was Taught
The word stewardship has been part of my vocabulary for most of my life.
Growing up in conservative evangelical churches, stewardship was a familiar topic. We talked about giving faithfully. We talked about church budgets. We talked about using our gifts wisely and taking care of the ministries God had entrusted to us.
Those conversations weren’t inherently wrong.
But looking back, I don’t remember many conversations about being good stewards of rivers. Or forests. Or clean air. Or the resources that every human being depends upon, regardless of what they believe.
Somehow, stewardship became closely connected to protecting our religious institutions. And somewhere along the way, we reduced stewardship to fundraising. But that’s not a biblical interpretation of the concept.
The creation story in Genesis begins with humanity being placed in a garden—not to exploit it, but to tend it. In the gospels, Jesus repeatedly praised servants who faithfully cared for things that belonged to someone else.
Neither picture is really about ownership. Both are about trust.
Whether someone believes those stories literally or simply appreciates the wisdom behind them, the principle still speaks to me. Good stewards understand that some things are temporarily in their care but were never truly theirs.
Maybe stewardship isn’t primarily about protecting organizations. Maybe stewardship is about protecting inheritance.
Becoming a Grandfather Changes the Math
I’ll be honest: I haven’t always been environmentally conscious.
When I was younger, I probably cared more about convenience than conservation. I wasn’t trying to waste resources. I just wasn’t thinking very far beyond my own lifetime.
Then our granddaughter, Aviva, came along.
She’s changed more than our family calendar. She’s changed my perspective.
When I stop and think about it, there’s a decent chance Aviva will still be alive after the year 2100. That’s a strange thing for a grandfather to imagine.
By then, I’ll have been gone for years. The decisions my generation makes won’t matter much to us anymore. But, they’ll matter to her.
So, when I recycle something, or choose a product with less plastic, or wonder where something is made, I’m not trying to save the planet single-handedly.
I’m thinking about a little girl who will inherit whatever my generation leaves behind.
It’s Not About Being Perfect
This doesn’t mean every purchase has to become a political statement. I don’t have the time—or the energy—to investigate every company I buy from. Neither do you.
Businesses are complicated. Most of them don’t fit neatly into ideological boxes, and I suspect many of them are simply trying to make good products while staying profitable.
I also know that no corporation is morally pure. So, at least for me, that’s not the standard.
The question isn’t whether a company is perfect.
The question is whether, when I have a meaningful choice, I can support businesses whose actions seem a little more consistent with the kind of future I hope my granddaughter inherits.
Sometimes the answer will be yes. Sometimes it won’t be as clear. Either way, that’s okay. Thoughtful decisions don’t require perfect information.
Every Generation Hands Over the Keys
Stewardship has always had less to do with ownership than caretaking. And it’s always been less about money than resources.
None of this really belongs to us. Not the forests. Not the rivers. Not our neighborhoods. Not the homes we’re paying a mortgage on. Not the institutions that make our communities work. Not even our democracy.
We inherited all of it from people who came before us and it is temporarily in our possession. But one day, we’ll hand it to people we’ve never met and who, for the most part, will never know us.
Because of that, this thought motivates my decisions now: people often protect what they expect to hand to the next generation.
Maybe that’s why becoming a grandfather has quietly changed the questions I ask.
I still want to buy products that offer good value. I still don’t believe in boycotts for the sake of making a statement. But every now and then, I pause long enough to ask one more question.
Not just, “Is this a good product?” But, “What kind of world does this purchase encourage?”
One box of laundry detergent won’t determine the future. I know that. But every generation eventually hands over the keys.
The question isn’t whether we’ll leave something behind. The question is what.
Grace and grit to you! –LK
This is SO good, I've gotta share it!
Related