Have you ever been in a place so dark you can’t even see your hand? Or maybe you’ve been in a dark place emotionally? That’s the way it was in the beginning: “the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2 NIV). But watch what happens when the Spirit shows up. He moves and things happen. The first thing He does is create light: “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3 NIV). Without the Holy Spirit in our life, there is a darkness, a void that can’t be filled with anything else. Jesus even tells us, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).But it’s not just enough for God to create light. He’s the greatest interior designer ever! He starts with a plan and builds on it, all with a specific outcome that only He can imagine. So when the final “reveal” takes place, we will stand in awe and be amazed. However, He’s not completely satisfied; it’s not quite complete until Genesis 1:26 when God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness” so they may rule over the things I just created. Who is the “our” He’s taking about? The Holy Spirit and His Son Jesus. They were all there, in the very beginning.God created every microcosm of the universe, placed it in perfect working order, then He stopped and thought about us. The great God of creation is the God of relation. He wants us, but He doesn’t make us pawns without a purpose or creatures without a choice. No one really wants to have a relationship with someone who says, “You must love me or else!” God’s given us this chance to be His closest friend. One who wants to hear our deepest hurts and tell Him things you can’t trust anyone else with. He knows who you really are and still wants to be your friend.When you love someone, you want to spend time with that person, close, not at arm’s length, not with your walls up. That’s how He is. Read His love letter to you, the Word of God, the Bible. Find out His secrets. Isn’t this crazy? The Engineer of the entire world wants to actually spend time with you. So in this New Year ahead, think about Him and how much He loves you, you are someone He created and thought of when there was still darkness. He did this all for you.