Imagine a life where you never had to work a day in your life—sitting on a beach with a cool drink in hand, able to relax forever. Wouldn’t that be the ultimate success?
For many, this sounds like the dream life, a world where work is a thing of the past, and leisure is endless. But is that really the ultimate success? Is doing nothing truly fulfilling? According to the Bible, the answer is no. In fact, God created a world not for us to idle away, but to engage in, to work, and to build. We are called to serve as creators, as partners in God’s ongoing work of creation.
The first several stories in the Bible highlight the importance of work and creation, especially in how humanity interacts with the world around us. The story of Adam is one of being placed in the Garden of Eden, where everything was provided for him. But interestingly, Adam is not portrayed as being content with simply enjoying paradise. Rather, it’s when Adam is sent out of the garden that his true purpose begins to unfold—not because he failed by eating the forbidden fruit, but because he wasn’t fulfilling his potential within the Garden. Adam was meant to work the land, to build, to create, and to contribute to the world.
The same applies to Eve. She, too, was sent out to fulfill her role as a creator—bringing life into the world and shaping society. God didn’t want humankind to be like the animals who simply live off the land; He wanted us to participate in building and shaping the world into something greater.
One of the most interesting aspects of God’s creation is the process of making bread, which serves as a perfect metaphor for this divine partnership. Bread is unlike many other foods. While fruits like apples or cherries are ready to eat straight from the tree, bread involves an intricate process. We begin with a seed, plant it, water it, and allow it to grow. But that’s only the start. After the grain is harvested, it’s dried and ground down into dust—completely inedible in its raw form. Then, it is combined with water, shaped, and baked until it is transformed into a food we can eat.
Why does bread require so many steps? Why not just have bread grow on trees like other foods? The answer lies in the unique role that bread plays in human life. Bread is a creation of man, not nature. It’s a food that requires human effort to make it edible, symbolizing the need for us to participate in the world and contribute to it. While other foods are ready for consumption without much intervention, bread represents human creativity, effort, and the fulfillment of divine potential.
God could have easily made bread grow on trees, or even handed it down from heaven, but He chose not to. Instead, He gave us a world that was incomplete, a world that we could shape and improve. Adam and Eve were sent out of the garden not to live off of what was already there, but to build, to create, and to transform the world around them. Through their work, they would fulfill their divine potential.
The process of making bread is a reflection of this. It requires human intervention—planting, harvesting, grinding, shaping, and baking. In the same way, God created a world that requires our participation. The act of working, of engaging with the earth and creating something new, is a divine calling. Through our labor, we join God in the ongoing act of creation.
Ultimately, the story of Adam, Eve, and the making of bread is about more than just work. It’s about fulfilling our purpose as co-creators with God, shaping the world and building a better future. In a world where many dream of doing nothing, the Bible reminds us that true fulfillment comes from participating in the work of creation, from taking part in the divine process of building and making. We don’t just live off of what’s given to us; we are called to make something new, to bring our talents and efforts to the world, and to fulfill the potential that God has placed within us.
