Intended to Be

Read It: Romans 8:18-25 (NRSV)

¹⁸I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. ¹⁹For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; ²⁰for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; ²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.

Learn It:

I wonder if when we look at creation we see it waiting to burst with joy.  When we look at the beauty of what God has created can we see the goodness that is in it and see what it is all mean to be?  This feeling that creation has and even we have in ourselves is the Spirit working in and through us.  Paul tells us that all of creation and even our bodies are eager to return to the closeness of God that we once shared long ago.  Basically we are waiting for the day, whether we know it or not, when all of creation can return to the way it was before the fall.  In all the waiting that we do consciously or unconsciously we live with hope.  Hope is what keeps us going from day to day knowing that we have been saved and knowing that there will be a day when all it comes to happen.

Share It:

Are there things that you notice from day to day or every so often that make you realize just how much life is bursting out all around us?  What are those things you notice and would you say that is life finding a way to go back to the way God intended it to be?  Why or why not?  In what ways does your life reflect a way that is eager for creation to return to the way it should be?  If the world were to return that way what do you suppose it would look like, sound like, feel like, be like?  If creation were as it should be describe how you would imagine it being.

Live It:

Take this week to enjoy creation and see the ways that it bursts with life.  It may not be perfect but life always seems to find a way to show itself even in the darkest of times.  Find those times of joy and light...of hope and share them with someone so that they too can see the joy of creation reaching its potential and its intended purpose.  

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Please post comments with your experience with the share it or live it part of this weeks post.  Let others know if you and your family found this useful.