And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day. – Genesis 1:6-8

Have you guys read Girl Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis? There is a quote that I can’t tear myself away from because in it she speaks so much TRUTH!

“Stop quitting on yourself! Stop saying that you’ll start tomorrow… start right now, this second. Stop talking yourself out of chasing your goal and start speaking possibility into your life. Stop showing up for everyone else and never showing up for yourself. What if, just this once, you stuck with it? What if, just this time, you don’t break a promise you make to yourself? Not out of punishment or penance for all the times you’ve fallen off your goals, but because you are worthy and deserving of good things and the only way you’ll understand that truth is if you follow through on your personal commitments.”

And here is the most interesting idea that this passage brought to mind… what is stopping you? Why are you quitting on yourself? My guess is because of one of the following things: food, appearance, people, possessions, entertainment or money. If one of these things is stopping you then it’s probably filling a pretty big need in your life. A need you’re willing to sacrifice your dreams for (even if you don’t realize it yet).

And this is where I want to focus on day two of creation from Genesis 1:6-8. See on day two God separated the waters. The earth was pretty much encased in this watery bubble (think a baby inside it’s mother). But on this day God made a space between the waters called “Heaven” or sky. After this, there was water in the earth (think oceans) and water above the earth (think huge watery protective layer way up above the clouds, which people tend to think poured down during the great flood). This space in the middle of the waters was where humans and all non aquatic life would begin.

And while that is cool in and of itself there is another point to bring up. Creation stories are not unique to Christianity. A lot of people groups had them but our day two was their day one. In Egyptian creation accounts, creation begins with the water god, and all life comes after. In the Mesopotamian account, there are a few water gods but they are also responsible for creation. These two accounts differ from the Christian account of creation since in our Bible God controls water simply as one of his creations.

And here is where it gets SO INTERESTING for you and me. In at least two other culture groups, they turned their chief need into their highest god. Water was the most vital part of life in the Middle East and they regarded it so highly they made water into the creator of life. How often do we do that?! We take our biggest need and let it drive our lives instead of looking to the TRUE creator and letting Him put our needs in their proper places.

Do you want be a public speaker but you let feelings of inadequacy about your appearance keep you listening to inspirational podcasts? Do you want to be healthy and fit but you let your emotions dictate what you eat instead of your goals? Maybe you are so worried about making other people happy you are exhausted and worthless to your family? Or you want to be responsible with your money but you can’t stay away from 2-day delivery on Amazon. What about entertainment… are you wasting time God needs for other things? And how are you managing your finances, or are they managing you?

God wants you to stop quitting on yourself, because he made only one you for all of time. And if you fill your existence chasing a need and letting it be your god you will never know what role the true God has for you. Water was created as a gift and made to reflect God’s glory. So was: food, appearance, people, possessions, entertainment or money. And although depending on our personalities we will find ourselves NEEDING one of the above, we need to let God be God even more. You are worthy and deserving of all the good things that God has for you. But we must come to desire and respect Him over everything else.

Try asking yourself the following questions and don’t hesitate to think beyond these to explore the best ways for you to keep God higher than your needs:

• Do I need God more than anything?

• If not, what do I need most?

• How can I give my needs to God and let him return them to me in their proper place… so that I can be the person he created me to be?

Let’s talk to God about what we just learned: Dear God. You are amazing and the way you ordered the elements of creation teaches me SO much about the way I need to place my priorities. I don’t want to value my needs over you! My needs are just a part of your creation. Please help me hold you highest. Allow me to see food, appearance, people, possessions, entertainment and money for what they are and worship you alone. Thanks for teaching me things God. I love learning from your word.