Genesis

Noah, Samuel and I have joined Bible Study Fellowship again this year - the study of Genesis. This is the first year I've taken the older kids, although Noah attended when he was a preschooler. I was excited to return to such an in-depth study and love the Old Testament, but I suppose I felt like Genesis was really familiar to me and maybe I wouldn't have as much to learn as in previous years. The beautiful thing about our Lord, is that He always has more in store for you than you can imagine.

I've learned a lot from the various studies I have attended - history, culture, details, laws, God's love, His attention to detail, accountability, Christ's sacrifice, the commandments and why... but I think what I am learning from Genesis is that God wants us to comprehend to the best of our ability just how awesome He is and I mean awesome in the true meaning of the sense, worthy of awe.

I've always adored Albert Einstein and I adore science. I adore that Albert's great insight was that matter and energy are closely interwoven, that matter can be made from energy. What we see is made from what we do not see. God doesn't share how, but I find immense pleasure in the consistency of science demonstrating the Bible to be true. This is true in midwifery as well. Science continues to prove that the created plan for birthing babies is the safest method, with minimal interventions, is far superior than trusting in man's technology for sake of convenience or in fear.

I love as I read through Genesis that for the first time, I can see beyond the majestic creation and sense the Lord's excitement in his work. He delighted in His creation. He was thrilled at how much it would please his children. It causes me to consider my own stewardship. As I created my practice, poured my heart into it and saw that it was good, would I have even considered handing it over to someone who I knew would destroy it in front of my eyes? Do I give proper consideration to our natural world and do I rejoice in it's grandeur? Have I taught my children how to love and care for our world?

I suppose the Lord was satisfied, in spite of the suffering He may endure as we destroy His earth. The Lord Jesus Christ was satisfied in spite of His own suffering as we misunderstood and hung our savior on a cross. These past few years, and I feel so small in making such a comparison, I have been blessed with contentment. I have been ridiculed, isolated, ostracized, and mocked for my calling, and in spite of that, the Lord has provided great peace and contentment.

Heaven is the component of His creation that is left untold within Genesis, and to a large degree throughout the Word. The Lord separated the heavens from the earth in Genesis 1:1 and then all that comes after details His work on earth. I am still chewing on why this might be and what it means for us, but I am also perfectly distracted by the knowledge that He put the Holy Spirit within us to move us (Ezekiel 36:26-27) and like a love letter from Christ, the Holy Spirit is like ink on our hearts (2 Corinthians 3:3). We are to find focus here on earth and not become so heavenly bound we aren't any earthly good.

Did you realize that since the 20th century, scientists have rejected the idea that the universe has always existed? It's funny that I've always considered the debates of how the earth began, whether from an overwhelmingly huge explosion or God's spoken word, but I've never considered that they all agree - there was a beginning. Can you imagine though, never questioning the beginning of time, assuming that our reality has always existed and then one day "man" recognizes differently and all that you believed to be true is put into question. Every generation believes their way of life is complete truth, the best of the best, there is no other way, which is the twilight zone I live in as a midwife. People are fooled by their narrow-mindedness.

There are no dates in Genesis. Many have concluded that the earth was created in seven twenty-four hour days, but whose to say the first "day" wasn't a million years? The days were simply divided by the sun and these were God's work days, which should be measured in a divine way. Biblical genealogies too, use the term "son" for "descendants" so again, there may be generations between each record we are provided.

New for me this year too, is the vision of the Lord hovering upon the dark when His creation was still formless chaos. He was broody and cherishing His plan, His creation, and then said, "Let there be light." And there was. I take comfort in knowing the Holy Spirit is hovering over me.