Why The Creation Hasn’t Ended Yet

951
Image via nasa.gov

Genesis was the beginning of the Creation, but it wasn’t the end.

Instead, it was the beginning of a work that was delegated to us. Each of us, in our own way, is required to add to Creation, using the best of our gifts and talents to make the world a better place. This commandment to progress Creation enables us to become more like our Heavenly Father, which is essential to our purpose in life.

Image via liveclinic.com

The Delegation

In the beginning, the Lord created the heavens and the Earth.

Last and greatest of all His creations was Adam and Eve. In most doctrines around the world, this is where Creation ended, with Adam and Eve given dominion over a finished project.

But this is not what the Lord intended.

Instead, we know from this revelation in the book of Moses that the Lord gave the reigns of Creation to Adam and Eve:

28 And I, God, blessed them, and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And I, God, said unto man: Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which shall be the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein I grant life, there shall be given every clean herb for meat; and it was so, even as I spake.

This wasn’t simply instruction on how to take care of the Earth. This was a commandment to add new life to it, to replenish it, to nurture it so that it grows. Our Heavenly Father gave us all through Adam and Eve the keys to improve Creation.

Image via sacredstory.org

The Two Keys To Improve Creation

The first and most obvious key to add to Creation is the ability to have children.

The gift of creating life is the most sacred gift our Heavenly Father has given us, and that is why it is guarded by covenants and commandments to protect this gift. The Family: A Proclamation to the World is very clear on what we should do with the gift to create life.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

Life is sacred, and in addition to being commanded to use it, we are under a strict obligation to use it only in the most sacred of settings.

The second key is our talents.

Everyone on the Earth has received specific talents that can be used to add to Creation. If you want proof of this, simply look around you. Look at the magnificent buildings and cities that have been built to rival the mountains that surround them. Marvel at the medicine that mankind has progressed to add to the natural herbs that were created to cure the sick. Walk through a library, which is the gateway to a thousand worlds within our own. These talents and more were given to us to magnify and give beauty to the world around us.

The Lord is clear about His expectations when it comes to the gifts we are given in this life. The Parable of the Talents teaches us that those who magnify and add to the talents they are given will be blessed, while those who ignore them or hide them from scorn will be forgotten.

Image via pinterest.com

The Why

Our entire purpose in life is to become like our Heavenly Father.

We will face hundreds of trials and tests to ensure that we are worthy of this ultimate goal, but the test of what we do with the two keys we have been given for Creation is a test that is often overlooked. God is a Creator; what better way can we become like Him than to become creators ourselves?

Creation isn’t over, and the keys are in our hands. What will you do with them?

Logan Groll is a BYU undergraduate student studying English with a minor in Creative Writing. Born in the mountains of Utah but raised in the wooded hills of Virginia, he now lives in Springville, Utah with his sweetheart. His passions are his wife, his faith and his dream of being an author.