In the Beginning…
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth…And God said let there be light…And God saw that the light was good…God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good…
For five days, God created, and God saw that it was good…
And on the sixth day, God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing.
And then…
God blessed them…And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.
Genesis 1:1-31 (abbreviated, of course)
He Called It Very Good
This is the life we were made for, a life God called very good.
We were made for peace and joy, for unity and harmony. We were made for wide eyed wonder, and hearts full of delight. We were made for warm light and kaleidoscope colors at sunrise. We were made for basking under twinkling stars, and dancing at sunset in the yard. We were made for laughter and play, for gentle rain after a hot summer’s day. This is the life for which we were made, the life God called very good.
But, one fateful day, sin entered creation and God’s peace and harmony were threatened. The hearts of man, taunted in the valley of shadows, grew tempted by the lure of darkness. God’s grace and faithfulness have beckoned us home ever since.
Looking back at God’s original intentions for man helps us see the redemption Christ carried with him to earth. This takes us back to the garden where He appointed humans to reign over the earth, and over every creeping thing. Where He called us to be fruitful and multiply — filling the earth with His wonder and glory. It draws our hearts back to the place God looked around at everything He had made, and called it very good, so we can see the Father’s love radiating through Immanuel, God With Us.
Holy Longing
In this world’s brokenness, sometimes I forget this wasn’t God’s original design. Not all things are as they were meant to be.
We weren’t meant to break hearts or get our own hearts broken, nor grieve the sins of another while hurting others with our own transgressions. I forget brothers weren’t meant to turn on sisters, and loved ones weren’t supposed to be estranged. We weren’t supposed to shake our fists toward the heavens, wondering if God was kind. We were just meant to know that He was good.
God sees the pointed fingers, the doubtful hearts, the tired eyes; He hears His children’s cries. God sees us putting Him on trial, as if He has caused our pain, but here’s the thing: God longs for the same life we do. Rather, because He created us in His likeness, we long for God’s perfect design.
By sending His Son, God is making a way for us to come home –home, to the garden– where we’ve always belonged. By the grace of God, there is a way. The one who leads us is the only name that brings salvation (John 14:6). The hope of this future – a life restored –rests in Jesus. This is why He came: to bring redemption to a tired and weary land.
…
As we sit in the spaces between, knowing the life God created, while still living in a world yet-to-be-fully-redeemed, we hang suspended in what I call holy longing.
Holy longing comes when we remember the life we were made for. It doesn’t lead us to despair – it leads us to hope, because the place we dream of is just around the corner. Holy longing is agreeing with God that what He created is indeed very good, and believing that by the Spirit of God and the blood of His Son, one day we will be able to dance again in the garden of Eden with the One who created us.
For now, we wait and we hope and we pray and we trust and believe that every good work God is sure to complete. We celebrate that God is faithful, and that He has not left us behind to fend for ourselves. We are returning to the place we’ve always belonged, by the grace of God and the redemption of Jesus’ blood.
…
Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Today, may you remember the life for which you were made, and the wonder of a God who sent His Son for us even when we disobey and rebel, when we tremble with fear and doubt.
Thank you Jesus for coming for us, for making a way.
One day–
All that is broken will be restored.
All that we’ve done, and that we regret, will be gone.
Sin will be abolished, and life will return.
One day,
we will be home with God in the garden,
And He will call it very good.
Lord, awaken our hearts to your hope today.
Amen
.
NOTE: For thoughtful ways to engage this Advent season, subscribe to my newsletter for stories and simple bible study resources.
On even days, I’ll post a reflection on my blog. On odd days, I’ll send a newsletter with key scriptures, personal stories, and thoughtful questions to go a little deeper.
EMBOLDENED 