And It Was Good

Every time I read Genesis I am left with unanswered questions.

• “In the beginning”  Genesis 1:1 What about before the beginning?  God has no beginning and no end – so what was it like before he created the world?  Did he make other worlds? But then Jesus would have to die for each of those too, right? Is that possible?
• “Let us make man.” Vs. 26.  From the beginning there was three in one – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.  How does that work?  As much as I try and understand it, it still baffles me.

Then there are those things that just amaze me.

• “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Genesis 1:26 What?!  How amazing is that? God, a God who can speak and something is created  – makes us like Him? Whoa.  Am I treating those around me – and myself like we are made in God’s image?
• “And it was good.”   The God of the Universe made a beautiful place for us to live and then made us – and then said He was pleased with all He made.
  • Vs. 4 “The light was good.”
  • Vs. 10 Earth and seas – “And God saw that it was good.”
  • Vs. 12 Trees and plants – “And God saw that it was good.”
  • Vs. 18 Sun, moon and stars – “And God saw that it was good.”
  • Vs. 21 Birds and sea creatures – “And God saw that it was good.”
  • Vs. 25 Animals – “And God saw that it was good.”
  • Vs 31 Everything He made – “It was very good.”

A few years back our family flew from the East Coast to the West Coast. I sat next to a business man who gave the obligatory hellos and then promptly opened his laptop and got to work.  As we flew across the country, I was in awe when we hit the mountains.  I didn’t expect that I could see them from the plane and was delighted.  My business traveler friend had finished his work and after lunch had a snooze.  He was just waking up as I was snapping photo after photo on my phone.  I think I may have been audibly ahhing and oohing  some too.  I just couldn’t believe something so beautiful existed.

I felt a little self conscious, here he was – all business-like and I’m google-eyed over the views out the window like I’d never been out of my house before.  At that moment, he asked me if I could take a picture with his phone.  Handing him back his phone, he shared that he would be returning to Ohio later that evening after a business meeting in LA.  He said he had been making this trip at least once a month for two years. And, never once had he seen the mountains.  He usually closed the window shade and used the time to work.

As I got off the plane that day, I thought about how often I am busy, busy, busy — doing, doing, doing. And, I miss what is good.