Week 2: Start with Creation

Hey friends,

Welcome to our second week of Grace in the Middle! If you’re new here, this blog is a space for heart-to-heart encouragement in the middle of real life. Each week I write about one of three areas—spiritual growth, marriage, and healing from betrayal and addiction—all through the lens of grace and faith.

This week, I want to focus on spiritual growth, and I can’t think of a better place to begin than the very first chapter of the Bible—Genesis/Creation.

Take some time this week to read through Genesis 1. Don’t rush it. Read each section slowly, one day of creation at a time. After each day, pause. Look around. What do you see that reflects what God created?

Think about the sky or the water. Think about plant life—when’s the last time you really looked at a flower up close? Noticed the way the petals are shaped, the colors woven through it, or how it smells? Go outside and walk through nature. Pay attention to what you see and hear. Lay down under a big tree, close your eyes, and just listen—to the wind through the leaves, the birds singing, maybe even some small rustlings of animals nearby. Then open your eyes and simply look up through the branches.

I hope it takes your breath away.

I did this a few years ago, and I’ll never forget how it made me feel. I was completely in awe of God’s beauty. I didn’t have words—just a deep, overwhelming sense of God’s presence and power. He is so beautiful. So intentional. So creative.

And what makes it even more incredible is this: God made all of it and called it good. The entire universe—every star, mountain, flower, and ocean wave—He made it all. And He made you too. That’s not small. That’s sacred.

I don’t know where you’re at today.
Maybe you feel close to God.
Maybe He feels distant.
Maybe you’re in a deep valley.
Or maybe you’ve just climbed over a mountain.

Wherever you are, I want to remind you of this truth: God is with you.
He’s not just in the church building or the pages of a book—He’s in creation.
He’s around you and within you.
Go be with Him. Go outside and let your heart rest in the wonder of who He is.

You don’t have to have the perfect words. Just show up. Look around. Listen. Let yourself be reminded of His beauty and nearness.

And let that be the beginning of your spiritual growth this week.

With love,
Joanna