Marvels of Creation and the Christian Life

At the aquarium we saw an amazing sight! It seemed like a mythical creature come to life, but then it reminded me of being a Christian in today’s darkened world.

This year my husband and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary. Our original plan was to spend the weekend in the Georgia mountains at a bed-and-breakfast. But due to a conflict in our schedule, we decided to spend the day at the aquarium in downtown Atlanta, followed by a nice dinner at one of our favorite restaurants.

We arrived at the aquarium in time for the dolphin show and were amazed at the tricks that were performed by these beautiful creatures.

After leaving the dolphin show, we walked through the many exhibits, learning about and touching sea life. One of the exhibits showed exotic sea creatures, and there we stopped in our tracks and stared with amazement.

Miniature marvels of the sea

The dragons pictured in fairy tales exist! The gigantic, fire-breathing dragon is real—minus the fire and the size. Seadragons live in the ocean and move gracefully through the water. The creatures we saw are not an imaginative creation of man, but are one of the animals created by God.

Unfortunately, I was not able to take photos of these creatures, because flashes were not allowed.

As I thought about it, we, as Christians, are like these creatures in three ways:

• Our lives are on exhibit.
• We face the darkness of this world.
• Our lives are God’s creations, not man’s.

On display

Our lives are on exhibition but, like the seadragons, perhaps we don’t often notice. We go about our daily lives and interact with the world. There is something different about us that makes people stop and stare.

It could be the interaction of our family at a restaurant—we are not texting or talking on the cell phones, but are actually having conversations with each other. Or perhaps we realize that we received too much change and give it back. Or perhaps our husbands and dates open the door and pull out our chairs for us.

Those closer to us know that we are Christians and believe in Jesus Christ, but we don’t celebrate Christmas, Easter or Valentine’s Day; and we go to church on Saturday instead of Sunday. These are things that can make a person take extra notice.

Facing the darkness

These can be the best and worst of times in human history. We see the marvels of technology, but the cruelty of humanity. This world can be dark and scary; but like the seadragon, this is where we must live. We must move gracefully through the complexities of life, but thankfully we are not alone.

We have a God who has promised not to leave or forsake us. We have a sanctuary on the Sabbath with shepherds who are there to guide us with the Word of God. And we have a spiritual family with whom we can share the good and bad times—a family that understands us because they are going through similar situations.

Jesus’ prayer to the Father in John 17:15 states, “I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.” Our environment is not an easy one in which to live, but staying close to God through Bible study, prayer, fasting and meditation makes it easier to maneuver.

God’s creation

God has created us, and He is still creating something new in us. We are to show mercy, compassion, kindness and—in the midst of our trials—we are to count it all joy (James 1:2). This is not an easy transformation. It can be filled with frustration, humiliation and depression at times. God did not promise it would be easy.

Matthew 24:8-12 gives us a detailed description of how Christians will be treated before the return of Jesus Christ. Verse 13 gives us hope: “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.”

In the midst of saving us, God is creating something new and marvelous. He has taken our lives and is molding us with His Spirit from clay to beautiful vessels that will be admired and will stun the world. This is our hope and our vision as we patiently wait for the return of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

This was one of the most enjoyable anniversaries ever. One of the highlights was seeing the exhibit that convinced me that dragons exist. The giant monster of fairy tales is really a small, beautiful and graceful sea creation from our loving Father. And like us, the seadragons in the aquarium had to live in a darkened world and be constantly on display.

For more on living the Christian life, see the section on “Christian Conversion.”