“So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:27)
“…then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground,… And the rib that the LORD God had taken from the man he made into a woman …” (Genesis 2:7, 22)
There is a proverb: “Two stones I hold in my pocket. The one, I am but dust and ashes; the other, the world was made for me.”
This summarizes the paradox revealed for us when we read the creation stories of Genesis 1 and 2 through resurrection lenses.
We have no claim to life, except by the gracious act of the Creator. We read about how the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground. Not even the rich, fertile soil. The dust. The sand. We read about the LORD God making woman from the rib of the dust-man.
There is not much that we can do. We cannot save the world. We cannot save ourselves. We are but dust and ashes.
On the other hand, God created humankind to be his representatives, his image-bearers in this life. He created us to care for the entirety of the created order in his name, by obedience to his instructions.
We are but dust and ashes; and yet, God so loved the dust and ashes that He gave his only son. Because He esteems each human life so highly, Jesus was content to die on the cross for us and for our salvation.
There may not be much we can do, yet, by the grace of God, by the strength of the Holy Spirit, everything we do matters.