What if the foundation of everything you believed was based on the literal physical environment God created in Genesis 1? It supports that Creation was formed by God in 6 days- everything your 5 senses can engage with was completed in 6 days. This includes astronomy, animals, plants, land, mankind, and everything in between.

Your sound belief or disbelief in that statement determines your mindset about the earth’s environment and your part in it.

If people wholeheartedly agreed with the length of Creation, it would impact the way they consume, their level of gratitude, and their faith in the Creator.

If only God’s children really understood the impact of those 6 days and how God spoke Creation into existence and formed us in His image and likeness, we would have so much more respect for the things we encounter daily. We would likely look with awe at the buildings we see standing and the inventions that have developed throughout history. We would probably only buy what we need because we would understand the effort and work that goes into producing materials from the natural resources in the earth. We would probably eat less and be thankful for the food we get to eat because we would better understand the growth process from seed to harvest. We would probably spend more time outdoors and appreciating the weather because we would know how it impacted the health of our mind and body. Instead of being concerned with how much we sweat, we would recognize it as a natural coolant for our body. We would think before we threw something away because we know that it contributes to either the help or harm of another part of God’s Creation.

We would take better care of our relationships, especially our marriages because we would understand how they were designed to support us within this environment.

Imagine if you changed your perspective of your physical environment and understood how it truly impacts your well-being. Are there different decisions you would make about who you hang around… how you spend your time… what you listen to… how you speak… what you look at… how you contribute to subduing the earth???

I want to remind you that mankind was created with the vision of having dominion over the animals God had created. They were then given instructions and a blessing to “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth” as indicated in Genesis 1:28. The word subdue refers to conquering something or bringing under subjection. The word dominion refers to the right to govern and control with authority.

We were not created to cause extinction among the animals or to mistreat them. They are meant to be a blessing so our needs can be met. Everything that we do as God’s children should contribute to His Creation in a positive and sustaining way. I wonder what choices would be different if we really took hold to our authority. If we go back to the beginning to understand our authority and make changes to care for and honor the Creation God blessed us with, we would be better equipped to care for the other blessings God has also given us including our body, family, work, and faith.

God created in 6 days and gave us the instructions to subdue and have dominion over the last 6,000 years. I wonder if we are being obedient to His will or our own. Reread Genesis 1 and pray about how you can fulfill the instructions He gave us!