At the age of fifty-one, Ynes Mexia (1870-1938) decided to study botany, enrolling as a college freshman. Over her thirteen-year career, she traveled across Central and South America, discovering five hundred new species of plants. She’s not alone in her quest. Scientists discover nearly two thousand new plants each year.
In Genesis 1, God took a formless, empty, and dark earth (v. 2) and created a place full of abundance. On the third day, God separated the waters to create dry land and began making it hospitable for humans by having “the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit” (v. 11). These were seed-bearing plants and fruit trees from which we could eat. God didn’t create just one type of fruit tree but an abundance.
God isn’t only the Creator (v. 1); He’s also creative. He enjoys making different types of plants and animals and stars. If God cared only about giving us food, He could have made just one kind of seed-bearing plant. But God is extravagant and never does things in half measures.
God’s abundance isn’t limited to His creation. He’s also generous with His grace. As Paul said, “The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 1:14). As with God’s creation, His grace is more than we need and offered with us in mind.