Adam

“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image.’”  Genesis 1:26

All was alive and well.  And good.  Planets twirled and stars twinkled.  Butterflies flitted and fireflies glowed.  A whale splashed his tail, and sunlight danced on droplets diving back into the sea.  A lion shook his shaggy mane and thundered a weighty roar, but the best was yet to come.

“And God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” 

A little dirt would do just fine.  The Potter picked up the clay and began to mold His magnum opus.  Two arms and two legs.  Two hands finished with graceful fingers.  Two feet ending in wiggly toes.  Eyes which would gaze at painted sunsets and glisten with salty tears.  A nose to notice the flower’s fragrance and know when his food was on fire!  Ears for the waterfall’s loud rush and his wife’s soft whispers.  A mouth to taste and to talk.  A heart to pulse with life and love.

The man would not exist by instinct or impulse but would have the capacity to choose, to care, to challenge.  He would crave to connect and long to be loved.  Made with the ability to make up his mind or to make someone’s day, his time would best be spent in relationship with God and with others.  And unlike the animals whose lives were over when life was over, the soul of the man would never cease. 

The form now finished, it was time for the grand finale.  “And God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living soul”(Gen 2:7).  The special creature stirred and drew in God’s breath as his very own.  Energy from the Almighty flowed into his body and jump-started his heart.  He was awake.  He was aware.  He was alive!

It’s amazing what can be done with a little dirt.

No wonder God put him in a garden.