Creation 101

If you went to church last week you know we are studying the Old Testament this year. Of course, "...in the beginning" was the creation. As I read and reread the account in Genesis, I find I have many questions. Do mosquito brains feel pain as they are flattened to your skin? How do carrots know the orange grows down and the green grows up? What do cows think about as they graze in the meadow all day? How many worlds are there and is my eternal companion living on planet #649 right now?

Another question might be, was it extremely difficult for God to create everything? Or was it a fun time? Maybe both? Nothing is impossible with God. And aren't we grateful He got gravity right? I've attempted to make cookies before. Rolling that dough into a perfect round ball isn't easy. I turn away for a microsecond only to find that ball I tried so hard to shape has "splattened" all over the cookie sheet. I hope gravity holds us together just a little bit longer than my chocolate chip cookie dough.

And then there was Adam. The scriptures tell us the beasts of the field and the fowl of the air came to Adam to see what he would call them. Wouldn't that be an entertaining assignment? Here comes a very strange creature waddling towards you. You think it looks like a "scruntchnestodip". But God, overhearing you, kindly suggests that maybe "puppy" would be a better name.

For this edition of Grace Notes, I have returned to commenting on the October 2008 General Conference. The idea of creation reminds me of Pres. Uchtdorf's message to the sisters. He advised one way to experience happiness here on earth is to utilize our divine attribute of "creating". "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before." (Ensign, November 2008, page 117).

Just this morning as I was trying to create energy to roll out of bed, I stretched my legs, my arms, my whole body. As I reached in a long stretch, my hands automatically made shadow puppets on the ceiling. For a few seconds, I experimented in making dogs, fish, strange animals...and once I thought my shadow puppet looked just like Lamb Chop. Silly, I know. But it was a fun way to start the morning.

This idea of creating is what brought on the project Grace Notes in the first place. I also set a goal to crochet an afghan. The goal was met. I not only made an object, but in donating it to Carly to use in the Festival of Trees, money was generated and maybe warmth was created for someone using it this winter. I love to create music, not just through the piano, but by voice, or by switching on the stereo, turning up the volume to the radio, or inserting a CD. I create peace as I clean my home. I create order when I mow the lawn. I create a bond when I visit with a friend. We are creating all the time.

But my favorite is creating memories. Just for fun on some Sunday afternoon, take a notebook and start listing good memories...just a keyword or a phrase. After an hour or two, take a break and give your hand a rest. Then you can count how many more Sundays it would take to complete your list! A year's worth of Sundays? A whole lifetime?

It took God six days to create all of this for us. Whether it was literally six days or six thousand years doesn't matter. It took patience to see the process to the end. With each phase He pronounced it "good". In fact, after He created us, He called us "very good." I know I have experience in creating a mess, creating a problem, or even creating distractions. So I've got to remember to use my God given desire for good purposes.

Finally, we are just interns here in mortality, learning to be like Father. If I am a good girl, I will be allowed to create worlds of my own someday. I was imagining how I might create snowflakes. I would probably be tempted to change the chemistry and make them all different colors. Wouldn't that be a sight? Why didn't God use some imagination for snowflakes; purple, red, gold, green, blue and orange all coming down at once? But after some consideration, I admit God's wisdom. When all those snowflakes start to melt, what a messy, mucky brown color they would make puddled together. Not a pretty sight. And the inspiring orange autumn, the exciting green spring, and the pleasant yellow summer would pale in comparison to the gumball effect of that first snowfall. I guess white is the perfect color for winter and I still have a lot to learn as I continue to do my homework in Creation 101.