THE GIFT OF CREATION

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth… God saw all that He had made, and it was very good.”  (Genesis 1:1,31a NIV)

Now there are several words to describe what God has done with His creation as outlined in the first chapter of Genesis, but I know of none that says it better than grace. This creation is, for sure, unmerited favor.

Soon after we finish the first chapter of Genesis we learn that we humans have not done well by this initial gift of grace… But what we humans have done to this creation doesn’t diminish the grace that first inspired God to make it or to trust it to our care. If anything, our fumblings only underscore the wonder of grace.

Someone recalls an evening a generation or two ago at a summer resort -- the kind that maintained a row of rocking chairs across the grand front porch of the hotel. The vacationers watched the sunset -- especially a somewhat overweight, unromantic-looking man who never moved his eyes from the scene. Another vacationer noticed his intentness. “You certainly enjoyed the sunset. Are you an artist?” “No, madam,” the man replied. “I’m a plumber, but for five years I was blind.”

I struggle often with the worst failure of vision, my dullness in realizing the wonder of creation that surrounds me. I’m grateful, mind you, but generally in a preoccupied and imperceptive way. Only occasionally do I recognize that the creation is a gift of grace. I haven’t earned any of it… All of it is unmerited.

But when I ponder the gift, I realize I must care for what is here and I must seek to restore what my ancestors and I have messed up. Because while grace is a gift, those who receive it are obligated to cooperate with its mood. 

– Excerpted from “Grace in a Tree Stump: Old Testament Stories of God’s Love” by J. Ellsworth Kalas

“Those who live at the ends of the earth
stand in awe of Your wonders.
From where the sun rises to where it sets,
You inspire shouts of joy.”  (Psalm 65:8 NLT)