January 12–18: “In the Beginning God Created the Heaven and the Earth” Genesis 1–2; Moses 2–3; Abraham 4–5

Because the world around us is so beautiful and majestic, it’s hard to imagine the earth when it was “without form, and void” and “empty and desolate” (Genesis 1:2; Abraham 4:2). One thing the Creation story teaches us is that God can, over time, make something magnificent out of something unorganized. That’s helpful to remember when life seems chaotic. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are Creators, and Their creative work with us is not finished. They can make light shine in dark moments in our lives. They can fill our emptiness with life. They can transform us into the divine beings we were meant to be. That’s what it means to be created in God’s image, after His likeness (see Genesis 1:26). We have the potential to become like Him: exalted, glorified, heavenly.