Focus on the Light in the Plan

I have really enjoyed studying the beginning of Genesis. I’ve listened to The Key to the Keystone, read the beginning of his next book, The Lost Gems of Genesis, The Book of Adam and Eve (From Egypt), The Ethiopian Bible, and several apocryphal writings. Also, these things have given me great insight into the first story – how God has never left His children alone and has always blessed them and taught them. I have learned so many great things about the Creation, the Fall, and about Adam and Eve and how they developed their relationship with God after The Fall.

This week has been a focus on The Creation. Here are a few stand out thoughts I have gleaned throughout my studies over the past couple weeks:

• The Creation story is a great metaphor of our personal “creation” story.
• Creation is more about organising existing materials than it is out making something from nothing. God organised existing materials and formed the Earth. He organised intelligences to form me, to form each of us spiritually – His spirit children.
• In the beginning, God’s plan separated Light and Darkness. It was very clear that Light leads to Life and Darkness leads to death. In the beginning Light, Life, and Truth clearly brought about order, progression and compassion. Darkness brought about pain, suffering and chaos. 
• Light always wins. Light penetrates the darkness. Light exposes flaws, yet exposes beauty. 
• Light fills all of God’s creations. This light was not from the sun, moon nor stars. It stands apart from these soon to be created sources of light. This Light is found in each of them as The Light of Christ. 
• In the beginning, God assured us agency by first giving us choices – the choice between Light and Dark, good and evil, home and wilderness. 
• In the midst of darkness and chaos, The Spirit of God was ever present. Likewise, in my spiritual journey, I begin in a symbolic state of darkness or chaos. Some days I continue to feel like I am consumed in the darkness and chaos. Yet, from the beginning, God has watched over and, if I allow Him, He moves upon me and directs me, as His creation, His daughter. I am then filled with Light.
• In my own journey, I receive more Light from the Word of God – Jesus speaks and I receive Light. I gain more Light as I study the scripture and the word of the prophets, ponder the whisperings of the Spirit and words from good books that lead me to Christ.
• At the end of the first day, God says “It is good.” The Savior focuses on “the good” in all creation. He sees the progress, even when the creation is not finished. As I gather more light, He sees “the good” in me, one of His incomplete creations.
• On the second day, God separated the waters – waters in the heavens from the water on the earth. I love this symbolism. As we are filled with Light, we “rise”. We are separated from those who are not experiencing the same level of Light in their lives. It reminds me of the temple – separating the holy from the unholy. We are to live a higher and holier life as we follow the Savior.
• On the third day, God gathered the water to make seas and the dry land appeared. This is yet another sifting, a separation that causes like intelligences to gather together. It is an opportunity to continue along a journey of progression and creation.
• The earth is commanded to produce plants and the plants are commanded to produce seeds and continue to reproduce. God seems to delegate creation to the plants when he commands them to bring forth seeds or when he commands the earth to bring forth the plant. I love that he lets His creations participate in creation. I find it interesting that the sun has not yet been created. That is such a great reminder that it is the Light of Christ that brings life to all creation!
• On the fourth day, God created the lights in the sky. Not only do the sun, moon, and stars bring light to the planet, they are a reminder of the true source of Light. They also provide us with time – seasons, days and years. They are signs in the heavens that God has not forgotten us. Additionally, the sun and the moon are reminders of truth. The sun gives light and warmth, the moon does not. It doesn’t produce its own light. It reflects the light of the sun. Jesus is the true Light of the world. We, like the moon, reflect that light to the world. During a lunar eclipse, the moon is darkened because the earth comes between the sun and the moon. Similarly, when I let the cares of the world, my emotions, false beliefs, or fears come between me and Jesus, I no longer can effectively reflect His light.
• On the fifth day God created creatures in the sea and in the air. He adds abundance, diversity and beauty to the world.
• On the sixth day he created animals to roam the land. He divided them into livestock (domesticated animals), creeping things, and wild animals. This is a reminder that God is a God of order and has divine foresight. It is a reminder that He provides for our needs. Domestic animals form partnerships with humans. They depend on the humans for care them and in return, they provide for human needs – from companionships to food and clothing. Yet the wild animals exist outside human control, symbolizing that God’s creations are still under the sovereign authority of God, even if they are not obedient to man.
• At the end of the sixth day, the Lord created mankind in his own image. This creation God did not delegate. He was completely involved in this creation. Why? Because we are His offspring. We are His children. We are a piece of him and we have divine potential as a piece of Him.
• It is good. Jesus always sees the good in us. He sees past our imperfection as we continue to progress. He knows that we are making progress. He knows that we are made complete in Him. God sees the creation of mankind and declares, “It is very good.”

The creation story is not meant to be a lesson in science, although there is plenty of science to understand in the story. The story of creation is a story of putting things in order. It’s about how God creates order and thus beauty and functionality in all His creations. The Creation story is central to understanding the rest of the Plan of Redemption. Each step of the creation speaks to the Plan and speaks to the role of Jesus Christ in the Plan. The Creation story is the template for creating us as “new creatures in Christ.”

• Recognizing we are God’s children, formed and organized in His image.
• Recognising that He moves in our lives, even in times of darkness. The Lord never leaves.
• Allowing God to separate the Light from the Darkness, helping us to see the choices and to choose Him, to choose The Light.
• Setting ourselves apart and “rising” above the rest of humanity as we seek and accept His Light.
• Gathering together with like creatures in Christ. Again, separating ourselves – sifting out that which is keeping us from coming unto Christ.
• Bring forth fruits of repentance and replenishing the earth with goodness because of the power that is in Christ.
• Reflecting the Light of Christ to others and giving constant recognition to the source of Light.
• Uniting, first as Husbands and wives, bringing children into that union and completing the union by uniting with Christ. Then taking that unity to our congregation, communities and ultimately to the world.
• And finally, choosing to follow the Light, and to give as much, if not more than, we have received.

Why? Because “It was very good.” God’s Plan of Redemption is more than “very good.” It is miraculous.