GENESIS 2

When I was growing up, one of my favorite television programs was MacGyver. (And I just have to go on record that I think the current reincarnation of this great TV classic is a total travesty! Ha ha, back to more important things.)

Every week, I was fascinated by Richard Dean Anderson who played the wily agent who always seemed to find himself in a pickle. What fascinated me, however, was that no matter what situation he found himself in, MacGyver was somehow able to use what was at hand to rescue himself and others from certain doom. It seemed he could make anything if he had enough paper clips or masking tape.

So, what does that have to do with Genesis 2?

It struck me, as I continued reading the ever-familiar creation story, that God made people out of dirt. In fact, the Hebrew word for “man” comes from the same word as “soil.” Now, I'm sure this isn't a brand-new thought to anyone. We've all read the story. We know God made people out of dirt. But perhaps it has become so familiar a fact that we haven’t really thought about it for a while.

God can make anything He wants to out of whatever He wants to! God didn’t need to have body parts FedExed in to put a man together. He simply used what was at hand . . . dirt. And I got a glimpse of God as this universal MacGyver—a resourceful, highly ingenious Creator who is adaptable to any and every situation He encounters. It doesn’t matter if all He has is dirt. He can make a beautiful human being from it.

This was especially beautiful to me when I consider just how often I come to God feeling like dirt. My sin leaves me degraded, debased, and feeling pretty worthless. But the creation story reminds me that God is NOT limited by what He has to work with. When I bring Him my dirt, He can shape me anew into a beautiful and perfect creature, made in His image.

From dirt to people perfection. God did it in the beginning, and He's still doing it today. What a genius!