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

That first line of Scripture is a radical claims. If you can believe that, it makes it easier to believe the rest. It says there is a God. A Designer. A Creator. Which also means we are not gods. We are not self-made. We are not the center of the universe.

That goes up against American culture today. We live in a world where the loudest message is individualism. It sounds empowering, but to be honest, it’s exhausting. And it leaves us more divided and confused than ever.

Genesis tells us God created the world with order, purpose, and beauty. We’ve spent centuries unraveling that design, and the results are staring us in the face: environmental collapse, political chaos, loneliness, greed, and a church that often looks more like a reflection of culture than of Christ.

Genesis says the earth was “formless and empty” until God spoke and brought order (Gen. 1:2–3). Light separated from darkness. Seas from land. Life arranged so it could flourish.

But we don’t like God’s order much. We’ve confused freedom with chaos. We think ignoring limits will make us happy, but it doesn’t. Try driving on the highway with no rules and it’s soon a demolition derby!

Our culture preaches individuality but what we really get is anxiety, disconnection, and constant outrage. God’s order doesn’t crush us, rather it frees us. As Psalm 19:7 puts it: “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul.”

Genesis also says we are made in God’s image, “imago Dei” (Gen. 1:26–27). That means every human life carries dignity and value. Not just the ones we like. Not just the ones who agree with us politically. Not just the unborn. Not just the elderly. Not just the “respectable.” It means the refugee matters. The addict matters. The LGBTQ+ community matters. The people on the other side of the political aisle matter.

Unfortunately, American Christianity has often been quick to defend life in the womb but painfully slow to defend life outside of it. We shout “life is sacred” but ignore the poor, underfund schools, shrug at mass incarceration, and refuse to care for creation itself. That’s not living as if people bear the image of God, it’s selective morality.

Genesis 2 says God planted a garden with trees “pleasing to the eye and good for food” (Gen. 2:9). God didn’t just make things useful, He made them beautiful. Sunsets, autumn leaves, apple pie, laughter.

Yet our culture thrives on ugliness: 24/7 news outrage, political mudslinging, social media toxicity. We consume division because it sells. Beauty is treated as a luxury, not a necessity. But beauty is a glimpse of God’s goodness. Philippians 4:8 tells us to set our minds on what is true, noble, pure, lovely, and praiseworthy. It’s resistance against the ugliness of the world. Choosing to notice beauty is rebellion against a world addicted to outrage.

Creation isn’t just a story about the past—it’s a blueprint for how to live today. God’s design is still good. But here’s the challenge:

Are you living in God’s order, or your own chaos? Do you see your life’s purpose, or are you drifting in the winds of culture? Do you make space for beauty, or are you only scrolling through the world’s ugliness?

The American church has gotten too comfortable. We’ve traded transformation for tradition, conviction for convenience, and often Christ for political power. We ignore God’s design and then wonder why the pieces don’t fit. It’s like building store bought furniture without the instructions, chaos, leftover screws, and a life that wobbles under pressure.

But the good news is this: God hasn’t given up. The same Creator who spoke light into darkness is still speaking today. Through Jesus Christ, He is making all things new (Revelation 21:5).

The question is—are we willing to trust the Designer?

Closing Prayer

Creator God,

You made this world with order, purpose, and beauty. Forgive us for the ways we’ve traded Your design for our own chaos. Forgive us for ignoring the dignity of others and chasing after things that do not satisfy. Open our eyes to see beauty again, to honor the image of God in every person, and to live with trust in Your plan. Make us people who reflect Your goodness in a broken world. Through Jesus Christ we pray. Amen.