The Well
The Well |
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Connecting Hope to the Hurting | |
Wednesday
January 9, 2008
God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our
nature so they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air,
the cattle, and, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of
Earth."
God created human beings; he created them godlike, reflecting God's
nature. He created them male and female.
God blessed them: "Prosper!
Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds
in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."
Genesis
1:26-28 (The Message)
As the creation story begins to unwind, the Trinity decides it is time to create beings in their image to take care of their creation. Part of that responsibility is reproduction. Okay, okay, so most of us are way too old now to worry about that. However, we aren't too old to reproduce and bring people into the kingdom. We are never too old for that. Of course, we do get a little too lazy for it. Sometimes in order to regroup and prioritize we need to get back to the basics. From the beginning of the world God planned for everything to work together in harmony, but we know it didn't last very long. What happened...? People…plain and simple.
One of my favorite accounts of the creation story comes from Larry Crabb's book, Connecting, he describes the attitude of the Trinity and how they operated and how they longed for us to operate. "Imagine three who, without a hint of competitiveness, are absolutely thrilled with the uniqueness of the other two, will stop at nothing to give each other the opportunity to display their special glory. Imagine a community without even the shadow of evil, with nothing but perfect goodness, where every member can be fully himself without fear of promoting rivalry or releasing something bad." Their love for one another compelled them to create. Such was God's desire for the relationship between Himself and Adam, and Eve.
Eve was as much a part of the walking relationship with God as Adam. This was God's desire – His heart. He desires an intimate relationship with each one of His children. He wants us to "come to Him as a little child," to trust Him, communicate with Him, and lean on His everlasting arms. Yet, Satan has convinced us that there is something God is holding back from us, and that is a lie. God holds nothing back. He gives to each of His children freely. We just have to be walking intimately with Him and in love with one another to receive His promises.
When I had children, I had no idea that I had a chemical imbalance in my brain that caused what is termed a "personality disorder." Had I known then what I know now, I would not have had children. Of course, I am not God. I am not all knowing. Even so, I believe had He known for sure the evil that was ahead, He would not have gone ahead with the plan of creation. Yet once things were set in motion, He went ahead with the entire plan and let things unfold.
With all my heart I know that God is love. Even with some of the dreadful stories of the Old Testament (which, incidentally, I love), I know that He is love personified. Only He knows the beginning from the end and we have to trust Him completely ¾ whether we like it or not. So, this year, let's do our best to study His Word and apply it to our lives so that we can truly have ¾ hope for today!
Father, we may not be in a position to reproduce new life through our bodies physically, but we can spiritually, whether it is a revival in our hearts and spreading it to our families and friends or being witnesses beyond that. Help us, Lord, to be all You would have us to be. Forgive us for being short of Your calling for our lives. Heal us, and make us new. Give us the hope we need for today. We will give You all the glory!
