In the mythical biblical account of creation, God created the world by a simple, all-powerful command: “Let there be light… water… land… vegetation… animals…” (Gen. 1:1-24) and these came into existence. This seemed to be God’s marvellous, enormous project.
However, when he came to create us humans, God would not just use his own magical, almighty powers. He did not say: “Let there be a man and a woman…” as he did with all other creatures. He took the trouble to make this special creature “by his own hands from the dust of the earth.” (Gen. 2:7)
So “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gen. 2:27)
God was not happy with just creating life, whether vegetal, animal or human. He wanted to create a ‘creator’, just like himself. This new creature would share all the life conditions of animals or vegetation. But with humans, God could not and would not stop there. For him, humanity was not a project. It was God’s pure and loving gift. This is what makes us humans. This is what makes us divine. God’s marvellous project was God’s gift of love.
A project is planned for a purpose. A gift is pure joy born out of love. It cannot be the result of some planned objective. Love is true when there is absolutely no other reason for it to be given or received. Love is true and pure only when it is freely given and freely received. Love is pure gratuitousness, pure freedom.
What kind of progress is it when we choose fortune rather than freedom, success rather than peace, self-sufficiency rather than deep companionship, death rather than life?
This applies to who we are and all that we do. We are not just creatures. We are also creators. We can experience this truth in our day-to-day lives. Watch a beautiful sunset, admire a wonderful painting, listen to some enchanting music, kiss a newborn baby, offer a bunch of roses to your beloved, stay up all night with a sick child or a dear, dying friend and you will know what I am talking about.
How much we miss out on life when we turn it into a project! How lonely and distressed we become trying to make a ‘success’ out of it – trying to make it to the top, seeking status or security in property and fat bank accounts! How frustrating life can be trying to escape from the demands of life and love by escaping into fame, leisure or pleasure! How tragic life is when we end up imprisoned by our own addictions!
What kind of progress is it when we choose fortune rather than freedom, success rather than peace, self-sufficiency rather than deep companionship, death rather than life? If only we stop seeing life as a project and embrace it as a gift! How hard it is for us humans to live by what we receive rather than by what we achieve! But how much more wonderful life would be if we embrace it as a gift!
Jesus said: “For this I came, that they may have life and life in abundance” (Jn 10.10). How sad Jesus must be when he sees so many dead men and women walking, or rather, blind people rushing towards their own self-destruction!
If you do not want to be one of them, never look at life as a project but always embrace it as a life-giving gift!