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The Daily Devotional
Tuesday, March 24, 2026
The Cost of Care and the Courage to Stand
“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?” — Micah 6:8
Reflection
March 24 carries the heavy memory of two tragedies that reveal, in different ways, how deeply sin can wound both creation and human community. On this day in 1989, the Exxon Valdez spilled millions of gallons of crude oil into Alaska’s Prince William Sound, leaving behind blackened waters, devastated wildlife, and a toxic legacy that would linger for decades. Exactly nine years earlier, on March 24, 1980, Archbishop Óscar Romero was assassinated at the altar in El Salvador because he dared to speak openly against injustice, violence, and the suffering of the poor. At first glance, these events may seem unrelated. One was an environmental disaster born of human negligence and greed; the other was the murder of a faithful servant who refused to be silent in the face of oppression. Yet both expose the same painful truth: we live in a broken world where selfishness, recklessness, and cruelty leave deep scars. Even so, these memories do more than call us to grieve. They invite us to ask how God calls us to live with reverence, courage, and compassion in the midst of a suffering world.
The prophet Micah gives us a simple yet demanding vision of faithful living: “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Those words speak powerfully into the sorrow remembered on this day. To walk humbly with God is to recognize that we are not masters of creation, but stewards of what belongs to Him. The earth is not ours to exploit without consequence. The tragedy in Alaska stands as a sobering reminder of how fragile creation is and how swiftly human carelessness can injure what God has declared good. The waters, the shoreline, the animals, and the livelihoods connected to that place all bore the wounds of a few reckless choices. Damage done in a moment may take years, even generations, to mend. Humility before God means learning to see the world not as a resource to consume thoughtlessly, but as a sacred trust placed in our hands.
At the same time, Micah’s command to do justice reminds us that faithfulness is not passive. Justice requires courage. It requires people who will stand with the vulnerable when it is costly to do so. Archbishop Romero understood that clearly. He knew that following Christ meant more than offering comforting words from a safe distance. It meant identifying with the poor, the persecuted, and the powerless. It meant telling the truth in a world built on fear and violence. He spoke because his conscience was bound to the Gospel, and he continued speaking even when the danger grew more obvious. Romero’s life testifies that discipleship is not merely about private devotion; it is about public faithfulness. Sometimes the cost of loving as Christ loves is terribly high.
Perhaps we can picture this truth in a more familiar scene. Imagine a towering oak tree in a local park, strong and beautiful, the kind of tree that has stood for generations and offered shade to countless people. Now imagine a careless contractor illegally dumping chemical runoff near its roots. In only a short time, what took decades to grow begins to wither. The leaves lose their color, branches grow brittle, and the life of the tree is threatened. An apology alone cannot restore the damage. Healing would require someone willing to notice, to care, and to act. It would require a vigilant neighbor who pays for an arborist out of their own pocket, waters the roots day after day, and speaks out before the city council to make sure the harm stops and the tree is protected. That kind of restoration is not easy, quick, or cheap. It costs time, money, effort, and sometimes reputation.
So it is with the wounds of our world. Carelessness and greed stain shorelines, destroy habitats, break communities, and crush human lives. Healing never comes cheaply. The cleanup workers in Alaska spent long, exhausting months laboring over polluted shores, scrubbing rock after rock. Romero gave not only his voice but ultimately his life in his witness for truth. In both cases, restoration required sacrifice. This is the pattern we see most clearly in Christ Himself. Our Lord did not save the world from a distance. He entered the brokenness. He touched the wounded. He bore the cost. He took sin, suffering, and injustice upon Himself at the cross. If we follow Him, we should not be surprised that the work of love calls us to costly obedience as well.
That makes this a day not only for remembrance, but for honest self-examination. Where in your own life might God be calling you to greater care and responsibility? Is there a habit of waste, convenience, or consumption that needs to change so that you may walk more humbly as a steward of God’s creation? Is there a person near you—a mistreated coworker, an overlooked neighbor, a burdened family member, or someone silenced by fear—who needs you to speak with courage on their behalf? Faithfulness often begins with one concrete choice. One act of restraint. One word of truth. One quiet sacrifice made for the sake of another. These choices may seem small, but in God’s hands they become part of His healing work in the world.
We do not remember the tragedies of this world in order to remain in despair. We remember them because they teach us how much the world longs for redemption, and how deeply God cares about every wound sin has caused. The cross assures us that God does not abandon a groaning creation or forget those who suffer for righteousness’ sake. He enters the sorrow and brings hope into it. Even where the damage runs deep and discipleship is costly, God still empowers His people to become agents of healing. He invites us to trade carelessness for compassion, indifference for stewardship, and fear for holy courage. On this March 24, may we hear that call afresh and answer it with humble hearts, willing hands, and steadfast faith.
Prayer
Lord God, we confess that too often we have walked carelessly through Your creation and turned a blind eye to the suffering of our neighbors. Forgive us for the harm caused by our negligence, our silence, and our fear. Grant us the profound courage of Your servant Óscar Romero to stand faithfully with the vulnerable, and give us a deep, protective reverence for the earth You have entrusted to our care. May Your Holy Spirit empower us to be patient restorers of what is broken, living as faithful witnesses to Your redeeming, sacrificial love. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Devotional by: Kenny Sallee, ThM — Deming, NM, USA
The Bible texts are from the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993, the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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