Sunday 13 October 2013

Creation



Our three grandsons live next door to us.
Each afternoon the boys drop in, check out our fridge and pantry, then pull out the Craft Box and get down to some serious creating…. all the while chatting away, filling me in on their day. I love these times.
Zion is 7yrs old and lately has been making superhero characters. He draws them and colours them, and cuts them out. Then he and his two younger brothers tear around the house and yard playing out imaginary dramas with these characters.
I’ve always been fascinated by a child’s insatiable drive to create. Whether it be drawing superhero figures, building Lego structures, solving puzzles on their ipads, dancing, playing dress-ups, telling stories… dreaming and creating is in their DNA. It’s the way Creator God designed them – in His own image. We are all born with the hunger to create, a drive to craft something new, something unique.
I was reflecting on all this last week when I was hit with this thought:
If God is Creator, if creating is intrinsic to his immutable nature, then he must be creating continually. God never stops creating.
Now, I know you know that.
I’ve always known that.
But this was one of those revelation moments for me.
And it was startling.
What is God creating today? What did He create yesterday? Another plant species? Another universe? There must be an infinite amount of things that God has been creating since … um … well, throughout all of his eternal existence. God has never stopped creating.
It’s impossible for my finite mind to fully comprehend this fact. Who knows what remarkable creations exist outside our universe, or within it for that matter, that we just cannot know about.
But one thing I have come to understand is this - that one of the ways God chooses to create is through people. This is why He created us in His own image – so we could partner with Him in the process of His creating.
We are conduits. But not in an impersonal way, rather God delights to see this new creation of His with my spin on it. My personality, my experiences, my passions, my choices - it’s a partnership. God sharing Himself with me. Me sharing Him with the world. I clearly remember being overawed by this fact throughout my first pregnancy - each day realizing that God’s act of creating human life was taking place within me, and with my assistance. How astounding!
Sometimes we tend to limit our understanding of ‘creative’ people to the painters and sculptors, web designers, musicians, writers and dancers of this world. But if we look more closely we’ll find creativity driving the scientist to discover that new vaccine, the detective to solve that crime, the company manager to build that business, and the mother to turn that house into a home. Whoever we are, God will use our personality, our passions, our talents and our choices to express His creative nature through us.
God has assimilated His creative self into us. What a privilege. What an inspiration to locate what He is up to in us today, so that we can capture it and proclaim it to the world around us. Think about that for a moment - God releasing His creative passion through me today – with my unique spin on it!

Zion, self portrait

Tuesday 1 October 2013

I Am From Country Towns ...







I am from country towns, from main streets lined with shops and restaurants, from neighbours who chat over fences, share a cup of tea and the odd cup of rice.

I am from riding bicycles down dirt roads, from carrying butterfly nets and glass bottles to keep our collections in, a sandwich and drink in the basket on the handlebars.

I am from family drives out to the river on hot summer afternoons, from plunging into the crystal clear, cold depths, from feeling rounded pebbles under my feet, from smelling wet bark of river trees and freshness of river moss.

I am from visiting farms, chasing sheep around paddocks, bouncing over hills in land-rovers, hunting kittens in barns, milking cows in the dairy, and eating huge homemade scones with lashings of jam and cream.

I am from walking to school in all seasons, loving the crunch of frost underfoot, and the crunch of green mountain apple in my mouth. I am from the chance to see that handsome boy turning to look from the school bus as it rumbles by.

I am from the city, from the happy cul-de-sac where children play hopscotch in the street, rounders in the front yards and watch ‘Rin Tin Tin’ and ‘Superman’ on each other’s televisions.

I am from Christ-is-the-centre-of-our-home, from church every Sunday, from Sunday School anniversaries wearing new outfits made by Grandma, from Church picnics and camps.

I am from ‘integrity is everything’, from ‘always speak the truth’, from ‘be faithful in all things’ and from ‘family comes first’.

I am from Family Christmas lunches with coins in the Christmas pudding, once-a-year roast chicken and laughs a-plenty. I am from school days of challenges, canes and rote learning, and from fresh lunches bought at the tuck-shop on our birthdays.

I am from freedom and fun at Teachers’ College. 

I am from the Jesus Movement, from coffee shop outreaches, guitars and Bibles in the parks and on campus, Keith Green music and unstoppable passion to see the world saved for Jesus.

I am from coastal towns, from sandy beaches and surf, tropical islands and yachts and aquamarine waters. 

I am from barbeques, from songs around campfires, from ‘she’ll be right mate’, 'stone the crows!', 'sheilas and blokes', freedom and opportunity. I am from the Land Downunder.

I am from passion for family history.

I am from two grandfathers who fought in world wars, and from two parents who never fought.
I am from loved, and valued, and respected.

I am from 38 years marriage, with one amazing husband, two fabulous children and five perfect grandchildren.

I am from teaching in classrooms, and from pastoring in churches.

I am from making mistakes and from gaining wisdom, from messing up and from finding grace. 

I am from devastation. I am from restoration.

I am from never-give-up, from life-is-a-journey, from loved-filled-destiny.

I am from depositing into future generations.

I am from my Father’s heart.




Connecting with other writers around the world for "I Am From" stories:
http://shelovesmagazine.com/2013/synchroblog-i-am-from/