Lent Day 36 - The Creation

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...
-let there be light...
-let there be an expanse between the waters...
-let dry ground appear...
-let the land produce vegetation...
-let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night...
-let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth...
-let the land produce living creatures...
-let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over...all the earth...so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them...

And God saw all that he had made, and it was very good."

Genesis  Chapter 1

I love handmade gifts. I love the uniqueness of them and because I cross-stitch and make jelly and do some other creative, crafty things, I appreciate the time and love that go into something created by hand. For me, just the fact that someone would think about making something for me makes me feel very special. I accept such a gift as a treasure. 

You may have some handmade things at your house: quilts made by grandmothers, crocheted afghans, embroidered pillows, furniture built by an ancestor and handed down through the generations... If you have such things you understand how special they are and how meaningful. It's as if you have a part of that person there with you. That's a special gift for most of us. There are some, however...

My husband's grandfather had a furniture/home appliance store many years ago and tells the story of a newly married couple who came in to buy a stereo and were five dollars short. They traded a wedding quilt made by her grandmother for that five dollars so they could have that stereo. I'm still horrified by that story and hope that her grandmother never found out what she did. I also want to find that girl and slap some sense into her... 

God must feel like that sometimes. He created this beautiful, perfect world knowing what we would do to it. I love to imagine God thinking about his creation like an artist sitting before a canvas considering which colors to use and what subjects to paint. He made some of the most bizarre and amazing creatures, many of which have still never been seen by a human. Why would he do that? 

For his pleasure.

 I like to think that there are elements of his creation that still give him pleasure. His purview is the whole of creation. He cares for us, yes. He sustains us and blesses us and made a plan to save us, but he cares for his whole creation. His perfect creation was damaged when man sinned and it has been in bondage right along with mankind ever since. Its redemption is tied to ours. When the time comes for God to redeem His creation he will redeem His WHOLE creation (read Romans 8:18-22).

Does that make you feel a little bit small? Me too. Humans can be so arrogant, can't we? We are not his first creation, but we are "very good". We are the ones who messed it all up, but he made a way to save it and us. 

Consider God's creation today. All of it. We are such a small, finite part and yet he loves us as if we are the crowning jewel of it all. We are, you know. The earth was made to praise him, but we were made to fellowship with him. 

That thought has given me a new perspective on my relationship with Him. It's funny how even feeling smaller makes me feel more special, as if I understand a little better what it means to be loved and cherished by Him.

Meditate on God the Creator today. Stand in awe of the works of his hands and take special notice as you go about your day. See the hand and mind of God in His creation, and don't be surprised when your heart becomes filled with praise and wonder. 

I am praying for you today. 

Sherri