Genesis

Weight: 213, Exercise: 60 mins, Calories eaten: 1677

Today, I spent some time reading the early part of the book of Genesis in the Bible. I'm not sure I ever really read the earliest parts of the Bible. I think that's mainly because it was a mixture of great stories and geneology. It was neat to actually sit down and read the scripture that, for the most part, I had encountered in bits and pieces on Sundays, Easter and, occasionally, crossword puzzle clues (it seems that Seth and Enoch are favorites in crosswords...who knew).

Still, the troubling thing to me was my own experience of fighting against trying to take it all literally. For example, the dimensions of the Ark were woefully small to take two (or more) of every animal and live with them for months. The shear interaction of predator and prey make that a highly unlikely event. Also, the fact that Cain had a wife who appears seemingly out of nowhere. Likewise for Seth and the other decendants. It doesn't make sense if you try to take it all literally and completely.

One of the nice things about the BHI class, at least the introduction, was the discussion of how to read Scripture. It helped me to think about what I was reading not as a literal account, but rather that God was doing something great and that man got to take part in it, because it was all made for the glory of God. Further, it illustrates the need to try to tend towards God as opposed to tending towards oneself. I can't imagine God wanting start all over with a flood or feeling capricious at Babel and throwing down the Tower of Babel just to put humanity back into its place. Rather, it seems to be God trying to turn humanity back to him. Either way, it's got me thinking that becoming a new me means finding out how what I am doing is leading to the glory of God as opposed to just myself. Like my beloved Jesuits say in their motto: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam: For the Greater Glory of God.