Monday, October 10, 2011

His Creation

“Put on the new man which was according to God, in righteousness and true holiness.” Ephesians 4:24
This time of the year always brings about in me a desire to craft. Years ago, my husband and I would spend many hours preparing various hand-made objects to display at craft fairs. The fall was our busiest season, gearing up for the holidays. Now, when the weather cools and the leaves start to turn, the desire to be creative stirs within me.

I love the creative process. I enjoy generating ideas and challenging whatever artistic ability God has given me to ultimately arrive at a form of personal expression. I think what I love most about the creative process is that I feel a closeness to my Creator. When I think about the pleasure I take in one of my humble creations, I think I might have a tiny inkling as to how much our Heavenly Father treasures humanity, the epitome of His creation. We must be pretty special if we were created in the very image of the one who made us.
Sometimes the creative process does not go well, however. Sometimes the ideas do not come easily. Sometimes I do not have the ability to make the image in my mind a tangible reality. Sometimes accidents occur along the way, and the entire project must be scrapped. On one such occasion, my husband was out of town and I was home alone with our oldest, who was just a toddler. I had spent hours intricately painting several Christmas ornaments. Pleased with my progress, I took a small break. When I returned to the work table I discovered that my young son was being creative as well. He had added his personal signature of several bright purple brushstrokes to the ornaments I had just finished. I could not successfully salvage the ornaments for their intended purpose.

Frustration is an inadequate adjective for how I felt at the time. There were tears. There was an angry phone call to my husband. My son was placed in his crib for the sake of his personal safety. However, even instances such as this draw me closer to the Heavenly Father. How disappointing it must be when He sees every aspect of His creation tainted by sin! It must be heart-breaking to Him to look upon humanity, the crown-jewel of His creative work, and see the ugliness of which we are capable. When I look at my own life and the mess that I make daily in my marriage, in my job, as a mother… it amazes me that God hasn’t given up and discarded me.
I am humbly grateful in the knowledge that God’s creative work is tied to His saving work. The God who created us became flesh and shed His blood on the cross, washing away the “purple brushstrokes” of sin that mark us and stain us. Through the Holy Spirit, we are re-created. We are strengthened to shed our old corrupted image and put on the image of Christ. Thanks be to our loving Creator God!

Dear God, Help me to live according to the purpose for which I was created. Though I am but a cracked clay pot, allow me to be your vessel. May your power be revealed through my weakness.

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