Order Out of Chaos - Chapter 2: Cultivating Chaos

Chapter 2: Cultivating Chaos

In the opening chapter of Genesis, God brings order out of chaos, and with that order comes light, life, and purpose. It is a sweeping, cosmic vision — heavens stretched out, waters separated, boundaries drawn, and all manner of living things spoken into being. But as we step into Genesis 2, our birds-eye perspective zooms in. We move from galaxies to gardens, from the thunderous voice of the Creator booming through the cosmos, to the quiet stillness of a beautiful garden called Eden. It is here, in this tranquil sanctuary, that we meet ourselves.

Genesis 1 told us that we are created to be God’s image-bearers (Gen 1:26-28), but what does that mean in practice? Genesis 2 gives us the answer to that question. Genesis 2 is not simply a retelling of the creation of mankind as described in Genesis 1, rather it is a deeper dive into the truth of what we are and why we were made. We were made on purpose, for the most incredibly important purpose imaginable; to carry on God’s creative, ordering work. The God who designed and ordered the earth and everything in it now hands that same task to us — not to dominate, but to cultivate; not to control, but to co-labor in His ongoing work of creation. In embracing this calling, we can find profound and practical remedies to the anxieties that plague our minds.

Image-Bearing: Participating in God’s Ordering Work

Adam is formed from the dust and placed in a garden “to work it and take care of it” (Genesis 2:15). He is then tasked with naming the animals — an act of discernment, stewardship, and care (Genesis 2:19–20). Adam’s naming of the animals was far more than a clerical task — it was an act of ordering what God had created. To name is to recognize and confidently say, “I see this for what it is.”

In times of anxiety, this can be a powerful truth to keep in mind. Naming what we’re feeling — “I feel afraid,” “I feel overwhelmed,” “I don’t know what to do” — brings perspective and creates space for God’s power to meet us in our acknowledged moments of weakness. Being honest with ourselves and deliberately turning to face the monster haunting our steps can stop the swirl of vague panic and invite clarity into the situation. Our willingness to meet life’s chaos head on by saying, “I will not hide from this,” is an act of acknowledgement that opens the door for God’s power to give us the courage to stand in the face of adversity. 

The Apostle Paul had experienced this timeless truth in his own life and shared it in his second letter to the Corinthian Church; “...Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Corinthians 12: 7-9) Paul openly acknowledged the “thorn in his flesh”, brought it before God in prayer, and relied on His grace for the courage to carry on. No matter the obstacle, God calls on us to face it with courage and dignity, knowing that His  power will sustain us no matter the trial we are undergoing.

Naming and facing what we struggle with is an act of ordering and the point at which we begin to integrate our stories into God’s greater story of humanity’s fall and redemption through Christ. It allows us to reclaim our experiences from the grip of fear or shame and offer them up to God’s everlasting  power to redeem us from the disorder and chaos in our lives.

To be made in God’s image means to carry forward His mission of bringing order, beauty, and life to the world. That calling is as much ours today as it was Adam and Eve’s in Eden. And it begins not with fixing the world without, but with tending to the world within.

From Chaos to Cultivation — Inside and Out

When anxiety strikes, chaos takes hold of our minds; Thoughts racing, peace fleeing, sense of control slipping away. But Genesis 2 tells us that we are called upon to subdue the creation, and that includes ourselves. We are called to bear God’s image through a life of cultivation of disorder, and that starts with the disorder in our own lives.

Your Inner Environment:

The garden of our hearts needs tending just as Eden did. God doesn’t ask us to suppress our emotions or pretend we aren’t anxious. Instead, He invites us to steward these emotions well - bringing them into His presence, pruning what is unhealthy, and planting seeds of peace through prayer, rest, reflection, and meditating on His Word. 

Your Outer Environment:

In the same way, our external lives need care. Our homes, relationships, and careers all flourish when we order them — not a rigid, perfectionist order, but a life-giving structure. Boundaries become fences that protect joy, and rhythms and routines become soil for both productivity and rest. Even small acts of organization and attention — Keeping a morning routine, organizing a closet, washing the dishes — echo the divine work of continuing to order and cultivate the creation we have been called to care for and steward.

Your Identity is Anchored in Divine Calling

Genesis 2 tells us that Adam was given both a place and a purpose. He is not left to wander in confusion, nor is he told to earn his worth. He receives it — as dust formed by divine hands and the breath of the Spirit of God. 

Anxiety often grows in the soil of disconnection when we forget who we are and why we’re here. But Scripture reminds us: We are God’s image-bearers. We were made to tend, to steward, and to cultivate beauty in a chronically disordered world. Remember, your life is not meaningless, your labor is not invisible, and your worth is not in question. Even in seasons of deep stress or confusion, our identity remains anchored in this truth: We are formed and called to bear the image of a God who brings order from chaos.

Genesis 2 is not ancient history, it is a present invitation to continue God’s ordering work. In a culture that glorifies hustle and invites us to numb anxiety with distraction, God calls us back to the garden, to simplicity, to sacred work. He calls us to a life shaped not by fear and suffering, but by order and purpose.

Reflection and Application

• Order your internal environment: Remember that list of things you made to talk with God about? Get that list out and go through it again. Pray and ask God to highlight an item on that list that reflects something internal that you desperately need to commit to facing and naming. How might God be calling you to participate in bringing order and peace to that inner struggle?

• Order your external environment: Find something in your home that needs to be organized. Got a cluttered junk drawer? A spare room that’s full of stuff you haven’t seen in years? A pile of papers on your desk? Whatever it is, commit to bringing order to that disordered space, and notice how you feel when the task is complete. Do you feel happy? Accomplished? Generally more at ease? Write down your reflections and use your thoughts as a starting point for a conversation with God about what a blessing it is to participate in His work of ordering what He has created.

Prayer:
Lord, You formed me and placed me in Your world with purpose. Help me reflect Your peace by tending the garden in which you have placed me. Strengthen me in my calling to bring order to my relationships, work, emotions, and thoughts. Teach me to see chaos not as something to fear, but as the very space where You bring forth new life and remind me of the privilege of bearing your image. Amen.

By Alison Ruffin