The Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils . . . and the man became a living being. (Gen. 2:7)
Whether it is the sculptor adding the finishing touches to his sculpture, the seamstress applying the final stitch to her dress, or the painter pressing the final brushstroke against his canvas, one thing is clear: nothing equals the immense pride and satisfaction that comes in the aftermath of one’s creative work. Some call that job satisfaction.
God must have exuded immense pride and satisfaction after having leaned over Adam to form him intentionally and meticulously from the dust of the ground. Interesting that God merely spoke other things into being but took the time to form Adam with his own two hands. That speaks not only of divine intentionality, but also of divine precision. “Does that mean that God made me exactly the way I am?” Absolutely. If “breath to breath” is one of the most intimate of expressions, then what could be any more intimate than God breathing his breath into Adam’s nostrils? Breath to breath so that Adam, receiving the breath of life, breathed back, himself becoming a living being.
Every time you see yourself in the mirror, remember that you were formed to divine precision by a loving Creator. And every time you inhale and exhale, remember that it all started with the breath your Creator lovingly breathed into you. Now, go ahead and breathe back!
Breathe on the face of your Creator while feeling his breath on yours.
Theodore Griffin is a graduate of Houghton College and Asbury Theological Seminary, and a doctoral student at Wesley Seminary. He is the lead pastor of Brown’s Chapel Wesleyan Church in Indiana.
© 2021 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
