Have you ever just stopped and looked around? Really looked? What do you see?

Sitting on the beach, excited that Spring Break is finally here, I just realized how underwhelmed I sometimes am by this obviously overwhelming world that we live in. But why? Life can get busy, sometimes so busy that we become consumed by the next task we have to do, the next place we have to go. We start looking ahead and stop looking around.

I get the feeling that we have read Genesis 1 so many times that we let its absolute wonder fade. One of the first Bible verses I memorized as a child was Genesis 1:1--"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Some of you may have been able to say that verse out loud before you read it on the page because of how many times you've heard it. But do we realize the ultimate power and magnitude behind those 10 words? God decided to create something good, and He chose to create us. The word for "create" used in Genesis 1:1 is unique to God when He made us, and it is only used to refer to His actions. God's creation is something that can never be replicated or matched.

Sometimes I try to imagine what it would have been like for God as He came to this once dark, empty place of chaos and turned it into something beautiful. I also try to imagine His mindset--a nearly impossible task. One thing I'm certain of is that God LOVED what he was doing. God is an artist--our artist. And we and the entire world are his masterpieces.

Let us not downsize what God did when he made the world, and let's take advantage of its awesome beauty! When I look around, I see the clear, blue sky filled with clouds that will later water the Earth. I see the trees that pierce that blue sky, which are also homes for birds and other animals. Right now, I see the salty ocean with its soothing waves, a body of water that's so big that, from the beach, it almost looks like it never ends. And I see people, people who were all made in the image of God. God's creation is magnificent. Let's make sure that we take notice of that and constantly thank him for it.