“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1 ESV

ART & POETRY BY PAUL & KATHY BOECHER

My husband Paul painted this from his imagination. His mind was often focused on God and His plan for our lives. This particular piece reminds me of the first day of creation. Seeing the earth and sky being separated and light entering at just the right moment. God is the only One who could visualize and put everything into place. We must rely on our faith to believe how it all happened. God may not be visible to us, but His handiwork is. We see it in nature – in the wild, unexplored places – in the millions of species of animals, birds and fish. We see it in the weather – the change of seasons – the miracle of birth – the geometric shapes laid in place by the only One who could – the knitting of internal bodies, with each part having a purpose.

How did it all begin? Where, when and why was the earth created? The world has lost track of God’s power and has almost erased Him from their thinking. I say, “Almost,” because there is no way He can be erased. From the world’s POV, the words of the Bible have become relics. They’ve turned their thoughts to themselves and their own power. A conversation with an atheist might go something like this.

“So, you’re telling me that God decided to take an empty space, wave His magic wand and create something out of nothing. Well, that doesn’t make sense. It’s nothing but a silly fairy tale, created to scare us into believing in God. Come on. The average person today, sees the advances in science and technology. It’s hard to imagine that man had nothing to do with the creation. Don’t you realize how foolish that is? The messages of the Bible are ancient and pointless, designed to brainwash us into submission. The world has always been there. There was a big explosion in the sky and because of it, the earth came to be.”

We’ve even gotten to the point where we believe we are capable of doing the things God has always done. In reading the Bible, we see that the mind of man has always wanted to be like God. The first mistake happened when the serpent deceived Adam and Eve into believing they could control their own destiny. The weight of sin continues to fill the world, even though God Himself paid the price to restore us through His only Son’s death and resurrection. Because of His divinity, His love is something we can’t even begin to understand, but it endures forever.

When I grow weary from the weight of life,

When every step becomes a heavy strife,

There’s no relief, no respite for my load,

The path is full of obstacles untold,

Each pothole, crag and deep embedded crack,

Becomes too much for this old, weary back,

But God is there at every twist and turn,

To raise me up when troubles churn,

To take the weight and soften every sting,

To wash away my tears and make me sing,

He’s with me everywhere I go,

Since Jesus loved me, this I know!

THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR ANOTHER DAY!