Story: The Dawn of Creation (pt. 1)

(What you are about to read is a selection from a retreat I spoke about a year ago.  It is based on the discussion of our connection with God and comes from Genesis 1 &2.)

"God's great desire is to be intimately connected with us.  We struggle to believe that, but He has proven that point over and over again since the dawn of Creation.  It is easier for us to believe when we do something wrong that He is all angry, all frustrating, all sick and tired of our stupidity than to believe that He is still all loving."

The great God of all things has set into motion His grand creativity and in His all knowing mind has a blueprint to lay out the perfect plan for the perfect world and in this perfect world, a perfect companion. All else is laid out and now it is time to create man. Man will walk with God, talk with Him, they will be connected. Man and woman both will have this wonderful access to God. The plan is perfect, God stoops down to the earth that He created and begins to carve out in the dirt that He created a form. This form somehow looks like God, but is in no way God. 

God spoke all things into being, but this project is so unique, so special, so exciting for Him that He actually gets His hands dirty. The form is done, and now for the most electric part of Creation…God breathes life into man. With a single breath from God dirt turns into flesh, lungs take in air; blood begins to pump through the veins he designed throughout the body. The blood is pumped by a muscle in the middle of the body, while other muscles begin to awaken for the first time as man begins to stir from his sleep. Dirt becomes alive. 

We can imagine numerous things as we picture this story unfolding. What was the mind of Adam thinking as He awakened? This mind that just moments before was a large lump of dirt, what was the first thought when the synapses began to fire? Man, and shortly after woman, was formed and God had created and finished the perfect world. The beauty that He had designed in a mere six days was capped off with the crown jewel of His desire. Humans, chosen to be the love of the one and only God, created to be connected to God…forever.

The perfection of His creation is exhaustive to think about, the many intricate parts of the body that He designed and how they all work together. To say it is a work of art would be infinitely short selling the work that He did. God walked in the garden with the first couple, I can only image the conversations that happened there. The questions the first probing human minds shot towards the all knowing God, it must have been like a three year old at the zoo. 

While we can’t think in the same light as God, I wonder what He was thinking. Knowing that He knew the outcome, why would He go through the pain and frustration? Why would He put up with all the garbage that man would throw at Him? Why did He care so much? Why does He love us so? Much of the connection that He longs to have with us today can be understood (not completely) in better light when we see how enamored He was with Adam and Eve. God created a perfect place for them to live, and gave it to them for their own even. I think we often forget just how much God truly loved Adam and Eve; we focus on the fall and the wrongdoing, but before the fall the acts of love that God presented to them was beautiful.

 Over to you...

1. What sticks out to you? What are you thinking?

2. Do you see anything new that you hadn’t thought about when you read this story?

3. Try to explain God’s love for mankind from what you see in this story and in Genesis.

4. Does this make you think differently about how His love for you?
5. Explain God’s desire for connection as best you can