In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
Here we are at the beginning of a new year. And all around us resolutions are being made – lots of resolutions!
I will lose weight.
I will exercise regularly.
I will read more.
I will ____________ (fill in the blank).
It’s all good, for a couple of weeks. Then those fresh, new resolutions are forgotten and altogether abandoned.
One Small Canvas
Several years ago, I walked into our kitchen and saw a small easel and canvas in our window. I asked Debbie what it was for. She told me it was a reminder that every day we start out with a blank canvas- one just waiting to be filled. The choice for filling it is ours. We can choose to fill that day with whatever we want. We can choose meaningless things, or we can choose to create a beautiful masterpiece for that day.
What an exciting thought! Our days, even our years, are just waiting to be filled!
Often at New Year’s, we make plans for filling the upcoming year. Hence the resolutions and goals. For Christian’s these plans generally include one or more of the spiritual disciplines. The plan might be to become more faithful in prayer, to establish regular observances of silence and solitude, to incorporate fasting as a discipline, or to serve others. And for some, the plan for the New Year includes reading through the Bible.
In some past years, reading through the Bible has been my own New Year’s plan. Each time, I began my reading in the book of Genesis. As I think on it now, I marvel at how appropriate it is that the first verse of the Bible is about beginnings.
God’s Blank Canvas
Just think! Stop for a moment to consider the blank canvas God had before Him.
Following that first beginning verse, we then go on to read about each day of His marvelous creation. On day one, He created the heavens and the earth and light. On day two, He separated the waters. On day three, He separated the land from the sea and created the vegetation. On day four, He created the lights in the sky to separate day and night. Continuing. On day five, He created sea creatures (for all you fishermen out there) and birds. On the sixth day, He created all the beasts of the earth. And He created us!
Each day, one through five, God created. And each day, He declared that His creation was good. However, the sixth day is different. On the sixth day, He created, and then He declared His creation “very good.” Humankind is the culmination of His creation. We are the culmination of His creation. And God enjoys His creation, so much so, that He rested the seventh day to enjoy what He had done.
The Choice is Ours
In creating us, God has given us our body, our mind, and our intellect. These precious gifts He has given to us have been given for so much more than sitting around everyday bingeing our favorite TV shows or scrolling on our phones. We are made for so much more! Good things. Valuable things. Things that will fill our blank canvas with a beautiful masterpiece. The choice is ours. How will you choose to fill your canvas in the coming year, or even today!
