When I look around me, everything has purpose. I have over seventy houseplants and I often find spiders hiding between the leaves and branches because these structures provide protection and hiding spots to ambush unsuspecting prey (i.e. stray fungus gnats). In their natural habitats, my plants would also be home to a variety of animals and critters. Trees and plants also provide oxygen and homes for insects and animals. They are also sources of food, shelter and medicine. When millions of them gather together, trees form their own weather systems like the Amazon rain forest. Their roots hold the soil together and prevent it from being washed away by rain or floods. Everything has a purpose.
When I look around me, everything has purpose. I often find spiders hiding between the leaves and branches of my houseplants-I have more than seventy. These structures provide them with protection and hiding spots to ambush unsuspecting prey (i.e. stray fungus gnats). In their natural habitats, my plants would also be habitats for a variety of animals and critters. We reap the additional benefits of oxygen, shade, food and escapes from the hustle and bustle of daily life. Vegetation seems to fulfill its myriad purposes without much fuss.
When we examine the food chain, we find every animal has its place from bacteria to apex hunters. Huge herbivores like elephants conduct massive pruning on vegetation and like so many animals, their dung carries seeds for new life.
Human beings are unique creatures. We are this amazing blend of flesh and spirit. Genesis 2:7 speaks about how Creator God breathes into man and turns him into a living soul. We are different from all other animals and I don’t believe this is simply about intelligence or skills. There are insects and animals whose strength, agility and heightened senses far surpass ours. Yet, it is clear that human beings have a unique role in creation. In Genesis 1:28, God instructs man to rule over creation. In some translations, God instructs man to have dominion over all life. In the Hebrew, the word translated for rule and dominion means that man is supposed to manage creation with care. God did not make Eden for man’s exploitation.
But what about man himself? What is his purpose? In Genesis 1:26, we find that man is made in the image of God. Like God, man is spirit although he is housed in flesh. Like God, man is told to use his authority to rule over creation. Like God, man multiplies. So, our internal workings are reflective of God’s. Like God, we create and reason. Like God, we create with purpose in mind. But aside from having dominion over creation, man’s purpose is to be in relationship with God. The early part of Genesis speaks of God walking with Adam in the cool of the day. I wonder what their conversations were like? Was Adam childlike in his questions? Was he excited to show God a new fruit he had discovered that God has hidden in a corner of the garden for his child to find? Did God anticipate Adam’s excitement and wait to hear about his discovery the way parents wait to hear their children talk about a flower or insect? Did they have conversations about the nature of certain animals and insects? I cannot tell how many times I have heard the Genesis story in church. What I do know is that familiarity with the Bible and church means that I often fail to bring my imagination to scripture. And while I do believe that God gives revelation if we’re interested in gaining insight, I believe that our imagination also plays a role. However, I also believe that God expects us to use our brains to investigate scripture.
So, back to mankind’s relationship with God. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I can be suspicious about God’s intentions because I am sometimes suspicious of people. My cynicism produces surprise and regret because I remember little Julene, the version of me who existed before I learned that evil existed in the world and that I contributed to some of it. There’s a part of me that’s distrustful of a God who would create mankind with free will then judge them for exercising it. It seems like a bad joke. Yet, there’s another part of me that wonders at God’s courage and trust to grant man free will. I mean, animals mainly operate by instinct although they express emotions and value community. However, there’s a reason we say “It’s still a wild animal”. We understand that animal instinct is real.
Free will means that God and man can have real conversations. This is why I resist the idea that we should not question God. For one, the admonition sounds spiritual but it’s dishonest. We all have unasked questions that sit at the center of our beings, waiting for an invitation to be asked in a safe place. When I read the Psalms, Job and many of the prophets, I see people who posed all sorts of questions to God. It’s human and God knows we have questions. I find it hard to believe that a God who created us with free will, intelligence, creativity and authority, would not want us to engage with him. I call it wrestling with uncomfortable things in scripture. I always come to a deeper understanding of who God is and who I am in relation to God when I am willing to wrestle with the things that trouble me or cause confusion. Or, I think about the things that seem unfair or cruel. I have wrestled with those things and sometimes, I have hurled them at God in accusation. I once heard a woman say, “God is ok with you asking questions as long as you stay in the conversation.” I have found this to be true.
I am grateful for the privilege to talk with God. I don’t understand everything and I never will on this side of eternity. However, that tension provides fodder for some really good conversations with the Almighty.
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