by Sarah Kalonji
From the dust of the ground—there, You began.
With a vision in mind, You turned to Yourself and said, “Let us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in our own image, in our own likeness.” You looked at the dust of the ground and inconceivably, saw a canvas fit to bear Your image. Then with Your hands, the hands of a Potter, You began modeling—folding, pinching, and sculpting me, Your clay. Fearfully and wonderfully, You created all the complexities of my being, even my inmost being. Once formless—You gave me form. Once lifeless—You gave me life.
From the dust of the ground, now I stood upright. A jar of clay, filled and glazed with Your Light.
Seeing all that You had created, You said that “it was very good.” I was very good.
Most beloved amongst all Your creation. You took me and placed me in the Garden of Eden, giving me dominion over every living creature that moves on the earth. You provided for all my needs. You walked with me and I with You. You commanded me, saying:
“You may surely eat of any tree in the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16 (ESV)
Then, I met the serpent. A creature far more crafty than any other beast of the field You had created. He spoke of what you had commanded me not to do, but he told me that I would not surely die if I ate of the tree. That my eyes would be opened and I would be like You, knowing good and evil. I looked at the tree and saw that it was good for food, a delight to my eyes, and it would make me wise. I desired that—what's there to lose?
So I placed the fruit from the tree within my vessel,
And that’s when I realized…the serpent! He deceived me!
I fell and shattered.
My broken pieces scattered on the ground.
Something within me had changed—
Your Light! Where is it?
Darkness has entered
Why couldn't I put myself back together?
I was afraid, filled with shame and hopelessness.
Separated from You,
I am no good. Separated from You,
I can do no good.
The Fall came with pain,
The Fall came with sin,
The Fall came with death, and I died.
Is there any hope for the dead?
But what I did, did not catch You by surprise. For You had already prepared a sacrifice for this moment—even before the beginning of time.
Then, You came for me.
But You too were covered in dust.
The Potter became the clay
Fully God and fully man—Christ Jesus. For me, You humbly became as I was, a jar of clay. But unlike me, You embodied perfection. You lived a sinless life, a life that I could never live.
You took my sin and that of the entire world, past, present and future into Your vessel and it shattered You, Jesus.
“That the Lord Jesus on the same night in which He was betrayed took bread and when He had given thanks: He brake it and said, Take, eat: this is my body which is broken for you” 1 Corinthians 11:23 (KJV)
For me, You were humiliated. For me, You were in agony. For me, You had to die. My sins killed You, Jesus.
“And being found in human form, He [Jesus, the Son] humbled himself by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.” Phillipians 2:8 (ESV)
And now, like me, Your broken pieces were scattered on the ground.
Is there any hope for the dead?
But You did not stay on the ground!
No! You rose back to life!
You defeated death, once and for all!
O! What a remedy heaven has provided,
Christ Jesus, my Redeemer!
“Yes, my soul, find rest in God, my hope comes from Him.”
Your love for me is unconditional, unreserved, indescribable, indefinite— Agape love.
Once broken—You’ve made me whole. Once lifeless—You’ve given me life, again.
“For God who said, “Let the light shine out of darkness” made His Light shine in our hearts to give us the Light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all surpassing power is from God and not from us.” 2 Corinthians 4:6-7 (ESV)
From the dust of the ground, now again I stand upright. A jar of clay—imperfect, and yet, still filled and glazed with Your Light
“It is finished.”-Christ Jesus
….
What do you mean "I died?"
“You may surely eat of any tree in the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die.” Genesis 2:16 (ESV)
After Adam and Eve had sinned, they did not physically die right away. However, at that moment—they did die spiritually. In Christianity, at its core, sin is rebellion against God, hence it separates us from Him who is the Creator and Sustainer of life. In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were in a perfect relationship with God—both their physical and spiritual bodies, in perfect health. When sin entered within them, it destroyed all of that. Because of sin, not only did their spirits immediately die, even their mortal bodies were now subjected to wear and tear which leads to eventual physical death. As descendants of Adam and Eve, we too [mankind] are now subjected to the same fate.
“For the wages of sin is death…”
If you take a fish out of water, it will die;
And when you uproot a tree from the soil in which it was planted, it will die.
Likewise, when mankind is separate from God, he dies.
"God is our natural environment."
We were created to live in His presence and to be connected to Him. I
t is only in Him that life exists.
It is only in Him that our spirits can live, eternally.
“...But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6: 23 (NIV)