Genesis 2:4-25
After the six days of creation, God rested on the seventh day. On Monday morning, it was time to go to school or work. God called the special people created, the man and the woman, Adam and Eve. They were living in a beautiful garden that God created. “God said to Adam and Eve, ‘I need someone to help me take care of this amazing world! Will you help me?” Adam and Eve said, “Sure!” Adam and Eve were happy to care for God’s beautiful world.”
If you have any experience gardening, then you know it is easy to plant a beautiful garden; but it is work, to care for one. Whether planting seeds or plants in carefully cultivated soil, the garden requires attention and care. Seedlings are fragile requiring shade and water. Seedlings or plants are susceptible to creatures that may find them tasty and suitable for food. Weeds spring up and can choke the young plants. For the beautiful garden to remain that way, and be productive, too, it needs care.
This story reminds us that God was not putting all responsibility on our shoulders to care for His world. He invited Adam and Eve to join Him in this work and to derive pleasure from toil. In addition, God gave Adam the task to name all animals and with that power Adam and Eve could exercise authority over them.
The next time you find yourself in a beautiful garden, stop for a moment and consider how it came to look that way. Who cares for the garden? A garden entrusted to itself will not be beautiful for long. When it is dry, the plants need watering. When those shoots first emerge from the soil and grow faster than the plants do, weeding is required, or the weeds will take over. When insects attack the plants, if these are not dealt with quickly, then the plants will suffer and may die. A beautiful garden requires caretakers and that is one task God has given us in His world.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for teaching us that work is good and for calling us to care for Your world. In Christ’s name, we pray. Amen.
