We can see the glory of God in creation, even in His playfulness, but just as glorious as creation itself is the way He creates. And, at least on Earth, that is by starting things small and growing them.
This is so obvious that we take it for granted. A human being begins as a single cell that divides millions of times, and the pattern for all that becomes a towering oak was once contained in a tiny acorn.
And all that humanity ever would become was in the DNA of a man, Adam, and then shared with his wife, Eve. But the glory is in the diversity that comes from the complex recombining of elements. It is as Paul tells the Athenians (Acts 17), that God “made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth. . .”
Races, tribes, families, and individuals all come from one “seed” that God blesses. But the miracle of DNA guarantees not only infinite diversity but also individual uniqueness. That means no one else has or ever will have your fingerprint, eyes, walk, or point of view.
It also means no one will ever fully understand you as God will, and apart from God’s patience, wisdom, and grace, we are unlikely to understand one another. We all are alike in our uniqueness and aloneness. I wonder if we appreciate that as much as we should.
For while our uniqueness creates distance between us, it also kindles the mystery, longing, discovery, and potential joy of relationship.
“Father, you have made us, and not we, ourselves. We ask for grace to bask in your love and trust your wisdom in the gifts you have given and withheld. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”