Read: Colossians 1:15-22

He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross (v. 20).

The seminar speaker emphasised a positive mental approach to everything. And I’m okay with that, for the most part.

She elaborated on how we might stay positive in the face of annoyances. Suppose someone rudely swoops into that prime parking spot just ahead of us. Simply stop and say, “Well, that’s just perfect! Now I can get more exercise by walking further.”

Such an approach can help us stop whining about trivialities. Some situations are far from ‘perfect’, however. Sometimes maintaining a positive mental attitude is not only difficult, it isn’t even sane.

In a sense, the entire Bible is devoted to the fact that everything is not perfect. Whole sections of Scripture tell of unspeakable deeds: murder, rape, cannibalism, treachery, genocide—Earth’s intolerable experiences are well documented.

One bookend of all that mayhem is a garden where the first man and woman lived in perfection. The other bookend is a promise that the Creator of that good garden will return to make everything new (Genesis 2:1-25; Revelation 21:5). And in the middle, woven into the flawed fabric of life, is a unifying thread that gives us reason for real joy.

“[Christ] . . . existed before anything was created,” writes Paul. “He holds all creation together” (Colossians 1:15, 17). “He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth by means of Christ’s blood on the cross” (v. 20).

When we trust Jesus, we trust the One who put all of this in motion. He came to walk among us and offer the perfect sacrifice for the damage we have inflicted on His creation. And He’s restoring everything to its proper order. One day we’ll say without a hint of irony, “This is just perfect!”

—Tim Gustafson

More

For the perfect beginning, re-read Genesis 2. For the perfect ending, read Revelation 22.

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What’s your most pressing issue right now? How can you trust God with it?