It's the first stated fact about God: "In the beginning God created" (Genesis 1:1). Ultimately the Eternal Self-Existing One is creative, and on a scale that we can scarcely imagine. He spoke a word and all that now exists came forth from nothingness.

We could devote our entire lives in study of that which He created, and we would not even begin to explore the depths of His creativity. Nothing is more complex or complete than that which He created. And of all that he created, there is nothing He values and prizes more highly than us. We are the crown of His creation.

All that exists came into being through His word of command, but we uniquely were made by His hands. No doubt He could have similarly commanded the first man and woman into existence, but instead he chose to take the dust of the ground and formed our first parents with His hands. As such, we are the most personal of His creation.

The personal and meticulous way in which we were formed indicates His ultimate plan for us. We were designed for intimate connection and relationship with Him. As His prized creation, He desires that we never be far from Him. The fact that He walked with the first man "in the garden in the cool of the day" (Genesis 3:8) is evidence that He eagerly desires close connection with His prized creation.

The evil one has very effectively disrupted our Creator's plan in far too many of His created ones. A walk in the garden has been replaced with every imaginable form of idolatry. His creatures too often choose to worship some from of His creation rather than the Creator.

We have the wonderful opportunity to remember our origins and align our lives with His purpose. The Creator longs for His creation and our deepest longings our satisfied when we respond to this desire. It is when we return to the hands that formed us that we truly find life and purpose.

May you discover and rediscover a sense of wonderment concerning your origins and purpose this day.

Steve