The crew of Artemis II, which slung around the dark side of the moon and safely returned to Earth a couple of weeks ago, took this beautiful photo of our home planet. I “shutter” to think that they snapped several other photos of our planet on their journey, including a stunning “Earthset” over the moon and a crescent photo where the Earth was mostly in the moon’s shadow.

Today, April 22, is Earth Day, which has been observed annually since 1970. Over 20 million Americans participated in campus and community rallies across the nation at that first event, and it has since expanded to over 200 countries including an estimated one billion people today. Earth Day is credited with propelling the environmental movement that has seen the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of legislation like the Clean Air Act.

Care and concern for the Earth as our home, however, goes much further back than 1970. The psalmist declares, “The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it; for he has founded it on the seas, and established it on the rivers” (Psalm 24:1-2). The Bible makes it clear that the Earth is not our own, to do with whatever we want; rather, the Earth belongs to God, and we are but tenants, trustees, caretakers.

When God created the Earth and everything in it, God gave us our role and our responsibility. It was our very first job. We are to “have dominion”—stewardship, supervision, oversight—“over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28).

Seeing photos like the ones Artemis II took reminds us how precious and fragile this Earth is, and how immense our responsibility to take as good care of it as we possibly can. It is a responsibility that we neglect at our own spiritual and existential peril.

On this Earth Day, what are some things you can do—not just one day a year, but every day—to fulfill our God-given responsibility to care for the Earth which is the Lord’s. Maybe you can recycle more. Maybe you can try composting. Maybe you can plant a tree or a pollinator garden. Maybe you can use your vehicle less and walk or ride your bicycle or take public transportation more. Maybe you can learn to identify some wildflowers or bird songs. Maybe you can take a hike on one of the trails on this magnificent mountain on which we live, and fall in love with the Earth all over again.