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.jpg "The Creation of the Earth, by Wenzel Hollar")
The Creation of the Earth, by Wenzel Hollar (click image for source).
The next part of our study on The Plan of Salvation is the creation. Before we could be sent to this earth, it needed to be created!
The creation story is amazing. You can study it for a lifetime and still learn something new. Many people are also pretty familiar with the basics of the creation, so I will not go into them here. Instead, I will just share a few things that stuck out to me – especially when thinking about the Creation in conjunction with the Plan of Salvation.
Patterns taught in the Creation Story
Planning and Execution
The Pattern: When it came to the creation, Heavenly Father didn’t create the Earth on a whim. He took time to carefully plan. In Moses, we learn:
“…For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth…” – Moses 3:5
The Plan of Salvation: I think that we can learn that how the Lord handled the Creation is also how the Lord handled the Plan of Salvation. It was carefully considered before it was put into action. We can trust in the Lord and in His plan.
Personal Application: We can learn from the pattern of the Lord’s in planning our lives spiritually before physical execution. We can take time to counsel (in our callings or with our families) and discuss what will happen in the future. We can prepare our lives in such a way that we live deliberately. Obviously, we can’t plan every single event or situation in our lives – as there is much that happens that is out of our control. But I think that the point here, that I learn with the creation, is that I can live more deliberately and plan before I create.
Additionally, I think that we can apply this pattern to other things that we learn in the gospel. For example, in this very context – of the creation the earth. After creating the Earth and man, God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden. In Moses 3:15, it explains a reason why:
“And I, the Lord God, took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden, to dress it, and to keep it.” – Moses 3:15
When pondering this point – why did Heavenly Father put Adam in the Garden of Eden, it is helpful to approach it, and any question, knowing that everything that Heavenly Father does is carefully planned. Everything He does has a purpose. Knowing that the Lord works in this way helps us to trust Him.
Evaluation
The Pattern: Not only did God plan and then physically create the world, but he also evaluated what he did. And he evaluated fairly. After each creative period, the lord looked over what he had done, and after each creative period he saw that what he had done was good.
The Plan of Salvation: As far as this pattern applies to the Plan of Salvation, I think that, again, knowing that Heavenly Father operates this way will help us to trust in His plan. Good comes from God. If we want to experience good in our lives, then we can look to the source of all good: Heavenly Father.
Personal Application: Again, this is a pattern that can be followed. It helps to evaluate what we do, and it is also okay to recognize that the work we do is good. Heavenly Father did not gloat. He also didn’t put on an air of false humility. He simply recognized His creation for what it was: good.
This reminds me of a scripture in Proverbs:
“She perceiveth that her merchandise is good:…” – Proverbs 31:18
This scripture is about the virtuous woman. I love that she perceives that her merchandise is good. God does the same thing! Often, I find that I berate and belittle my best efforts. Sometimes it is because I don’t understand my worth or offering. Other times, I wonder if I do it under the pretense of humility. Either way, I’m not following the god-like pattern of evaluating fairly.
Marriage
The Pattern: Adam and Eve were married. Marriage, family is not a social construct.
“And Adam said: This I know now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man.Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife; and they shall be one flesh.
And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” – Moses 3:23-25
The Plan of Salvation: Though salvation is a personal and individual experience, a crucial part of our eternal happiness will be experienced in our family relationships. We cannot ignore the importance of marriage and family.
Personal Application: I feel like this has a few applications. One – Marriage is divinely instituted, and worth every effort. We need to cleave unto one another. Two – as a woman, this is especially interesting to me. Some people feel like women are treated as “second-class” beings in the Mormon church. I do not believe this is true. I haven’t felt this in the church. While I may not hold the priesthood, I know that I am still of great worth.
Woman wasn’t created to be man’s slave. She was created as an equal. She was created of Adam’s own flesh. They are supposed to be one. This implies love, interdependence, and equality. It doesn’t necessarily mean each person has the same duties/roles, but it does mean that we, both men and woman, are important. The pattern set forth in the Creation – how God created woman, and placed both Adam and Eve in a marriage – can teach us our true worth and role as women.
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There are so many more things that the Creation teaches us. Through the creation, we can feel more of God’s love and recognize His infinite power. What are some of the things that you learn – about your life, about the Plan of Salvation, or about God as you study the Creation?
