Hennie Symington

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. ... So God created man in his own image,/in the image of God he created him;male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:28-27

God’s godly genius does not end with the plants. God forms out of the same ground all kinds of animals and birds, hoping that one might be a companion and partner for the adam (the man). None turn out to be suitable, so God uses one of Adam's ribs and fashions a woman from same bone of Adam and the same flesh and from the same matter as Adam – the soil of the earth.

If nothing else, we should be astonished by God's fondness for dirt. Soil is the life-bearing medium that God repeatedly uses to create plants, animals, and of course us. Life grows out of the soil. We all rely on the soil. No wonder, then that God takes the adam into the garden and commands him to take care of this delightful and pristine garden: “Protect the life of all the creatures you have just seen me make. Your life depends on it."

This story says that gardening is the most basic, and non-negotiable human vocation. We were created by God, our heavenly gardener to do the work of gardening in a place called the Garden of Delights. When we do it well, we participate in God's own work of protecting and nurturing the earth. We are an indispensable part of this garden with its abundant fertility and splendour. We are invited to partake of life's beauty with its unbelievable fauna and flora. Is that not a simply sublime occupation for us as human beings?

Prayer: How amazing, Lord, that you chose mankind to tend your earthly garden of delights! Let us rejoice in the gift of creation that you have bestowed on us. Amen