You Are No Accident by Colleen O’Sullivan
At the time when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens - while as yet there was no field shrub on earth and no grass of the field had sprouted, for the Lord God had sent no rain upon the earth and there was no man to till the soil, but a stream was welling up out of the earth and was watering all the surface of the ground -- the Lord God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and so man became a living being. (Genesis 2:4b-7)
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:29bc-30)
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth. (Psalm 104:29bc-30)
Piety
For it was you who created my being, knit me together in my mother’s womb. I thank you for the wonder of my being. Already you knew my soul, my body held no secret from you when I was being fashioned in secret and molded in the depths of the earth. I thank you for the wonder of my being. (based on Psalm 139)
Study
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| Creation of Adam, Tadeusz Kowalski, Creative Commons License, Wikimedia Commons |
No, you’re not imagining it. We did just read about the creation of human beings yesterday. Today, we are presented with the second, though older, account of creation in Genesis. In this version, we are not the last thing God creates before resting; we are almost the first thought in God’s mind. The earth, we are told, is covered with water when God fashions the first human being from nothing but the clay of the ground. God then breathes the breath of life into this clay being. In Hebrew, the same word is used for “breath” and “spirit.” So we can say God’s spirit is the life force within us.
Once God creates that first person, there is the question of where that person will live. So, God creates a garden, beautiful to look at and full of everything necessary to sustain human life. God asks only that the first man take care of the garden and refrain from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.. Everything else there is yours to use and eat as the first people see fit.
When I read this account of creation, I am filled with awe at the wonder of my being. It’s hard to fathom that God, who created the sun, the moon and the stars - everything in the universe - took time to make me. It’s crazy, but that’s the truth. Every one of us was a thought in God’s mind long before God fashioned and molded us in our mothers’ wombs.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you were an accident. I don’t know why any parent would feel the need to say such a thing, but rest assured, there are no accidents. You may have been a surprise, but God knew you before you were conceived and planned on your being here in this very time and place. God looked upon each of us with delight and called us beloved sons or daughters. I picture God holding us, smiling tenderly at us, and stroking our cheeks. God gave each of us unique gifts and put us on this earth, hoping that we would use them to further God’s Kingdom.
Action
Knowing the care and love God put into creating each and every one of us calls for prayers of gratitude. When you are praying today, reflect on the wonder of your being and tell God how grateful you are to be living and breathing and part of God’s creation.
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