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by Bill Seng

“We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” ~Romans 8:22

After we got married, my wife and I went to Florida for our honeymoon. We got married in April, so the weather in Florida was absolutely perfect. We went to Universal Studios, swam at various pools, and chilled outside at night with the perfect Floridian climate. It was wonderful! On our plane ride back, I remember the very moment we crossed over the Ohio border. It went from sunny and warm to cloudy, cold, and rainy. I literally groaned and asked my wife if we could coax the pilot to take us back. It was spring time in Ohio and we still had to wear long sleeves. We groan when we know things are not right. That is why creation has been groaning ever since its fall from grace.

When we look at creation and think that there is something wrong, we need to realize that there is something wrong. The world used to be a paradise void of death and suffering. Everything ate plants (ok, so maybe there were some draw backs) and there were no predators or prey. I could imagine the moment that Adam and Eve were kicked out of Eden and encountered their first patch of thorns. That would be a rude awakening.

Back in the day, I played football for Glenwood Middle School here in Findlay, Ohio. Sometimes after practice I would take my shoes off and walk through the grass to the locker room. If anyone is familiar with the old Glenwood, you would know that after you stepped off of the practice field you had to watch your step if you were barefoot. There could be broken glass on the ground or other sharp objects. Imagine if someone had thrown something sharp onto the field and I had stepped on it. I probably would have never taken my shoes off again after practice, or I would have watched every step I took.

Think about all that has changed since the Fall. Thorns did not exist until after the fall and now they are a horrible nuisance as they are just about everywhere. There were no predators to look out for. You could sleep out in the open and not be worried. None of the fruit was poisonous, meaning that you would not need to be terribly discerning about what you pick off of a tree. To go from conditions like this into a world plagued with death traps would be terrifying.

Creation longs for the conditions that God intended for it to exist in. This is why it eagerly awaits the revealing of the sons of God. When God glorifies his people, nature will be restored to its peaceful state, and not only a state of peace, but a state of perfection that was better than the beginning. It is because of its longing to fulfill God’s purpose that it groans, and it is because of our longing to be reunited with God that we groan. We were all created for God and without him we are left with an enormous gaping hole in our hearts.

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