Genesis 1: Embracing Difference in a World That Asks Us to Assimilate

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." These words from Genesis 1 introduce us to a world where God brings order from chaos, shapes light from darkness, and declares all things "very good."

Genesis 1 is not just an origin story — it is a poem of resistance. Written or shaped during a time when the Jewish people were exiled in Babylon, it stands as a counter-narrative to the culture around them. While Babylon demanded that they assimilate, adopt new gods, and forget their identity, Genesis 1 declared something radical:

• There is only one God, and this God creates with intention, not violence.

• The world is not an accident, but an ordered masterpiece.

• Human beings are not pawns of empire but bearers of divine image.

Rev Glen according to a neurodiverse AI image generator.

This was a bold claim of identity in a world that sought to erase them. It was a way of saying: We are still here. We are still God's people. We still belong.

That struggle — of holding onto one’s identity in a world that is not built for you—is not just an ancient one. It is a reality I have faced time and time again.

Living in a World Not Built for Me

I have experienced this tension in many ways throughout my life:

As a neurodiverse person, navigating a society that assumes one way of thinking, communicating, and processing the world is “normal.”

As a migrant, stepping into a new culture, trying to hold onto my identity while learning the unspoken rules of a different way of life.

As someone who has entered and left military service, moving between two vastly different worlds—one defined by structure, hierarchy, and duty, and the other by personal freedom and reinvention.

As someone who has moved between city life and rural life, adjusting to different rhythms, expectations, and definitions of community.

As a minister, stepping into new roles, new congregations, and new callings, each requiring me to redefine what faithfulness looks like in a changing context.

Each of these transitions has challenged my worldview. Each has forced me to assert my identity in spaces that were not always welcoming. Each has required me to hold onto the truth that who I am is good, valid, and God-given.

At times, I have felt the pressure to conform — to make myself smaller, quieter, or less obviously different. The world tells us that belonging comes through sameness, that difference is something to be overcome.

But Genesis 1 tells a different story.

God Brings Order from Chaos

The opening of Genesis does not begin with perfection—it begins with chaos.

"The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters."

And what does God do? God does not destroy the chaos. God shapes it.

"Let there be light." And there was light.

"Let the waters be gathered." And dry land appeared.

"Let there be living creatures." And they filled the earth.

God brings order, but not uniformity. Creation is full of contrast — light and dark, land and sea, sun and moon. Each thing has its place, its identity, its unique role in the vast tapestry of existence.

This is profoundly hopeful. It means that difference is not a mistake — it is the very structure of creation itself.

For me, as a neurodivergent person, this means my brain is not a flaw. My way of thinking and experiencing the world is not something to be erased but something to be embraced.

For me, as someone who has lived across different cultures and ways of life, it means that there is no single right way to exist. Whether in the city or the country, in the military or in ministry, in belief or in doubt—I am still part of God’s story.

Genesis 1: A Story of Belonging

At the heart of Genesis 1 is a simple but radical truth: All creation is good.

On the sixth day, after forming humanity, God steps back and looks at everything:

"God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good."

Not just some things. Not just the easy-to-understand parts of creation. Not just the things that fit neatly into human expectations. All of it.

Including me.

This means that my identity — my neurodivergence, my shifting perspectives, my journey through different cultures and callings—is not something I need to justify. It is part of the diversity of God’s creation.

Genesis 1 tells me that I do not need to assimilate to be worthy. I do not need to erase parts of myself to fit in. The God who spoke the universe into being looked at creation and called it good—and that includes me.

Living into the Truth of Genesis 1

Holding onto this truth is not always easy. The world often rewards conformity. But Genesis 1 gives us a different vision. It tells us that:

• Diversity is part of God’s design. Creation is not uniform — it is varied, multifaceted, and complex.

• Difference is good. The presence of contrast—light and dark, sea and land, sun and moon— is not a problem to be solved but a beauty to be embraced.

Belonging is not about assimilation. The Jewish exiles who wrote Genesis 1 knew this well. Their faithfulness was not in becoming like Babylon, but in holding onto their unique identity.

To live into this truth is an act of faith. It is to believe that we are made in the image of God, not in spite of our differences, but through them.

Genesis 1 is not just about the past. It is a declaration that God is still at work, still bringing order from chaos, still calling creation good.

Even when the world is not built for me, I belong in God’s creation.

And that is very good.