I was invited last week to share in the joy of being able to
create something. A class was incredibly excited to share with me the results
of their pumpkin-pie tart expedition into baking. From whole pumpkin and raw ingredients
through to the warm, pleasantly smelling and tasting finished results, they
were able to share with me the step-by-step process that led to the finished
product. The end result was that they ate them and proclaimed them to be the
“best ever!” This was no doubt because they participated in their creation.
They were tasting the process as much as the finished result in their
exuberance.
We live in a culture that seems to be satisfied with
consumption more than it promotes creating things. We consume products by the
Costco-sized value pack, our devices consume data by the hour bringing us media
with blurred lines of what is information, entertainment, and
communication. Our vehicles consume oil,
or Keurig machines consume coffee pods, and the pattern goes on and on. We
generally live a long way from a life where everything that you need or want
comes as result of us creating these things. Not always a bad thing, but over time,
those patterns do affect the way we think of and respond to God’s world.
This leads me to wonder; do we participate in culture more
as consumers or creators? What should we be doing? God placed humans as his
image-bearing creations in a position to be in authority in creation, with the
task of co-creating with him. We were designed for more than consumption alone.
The delight and deep satisfaction found in creating things, whether a pumpkin
tart, a quilt, a computer program, or a tree house mirrors the delight and love
with which God made us and our world. We find satisfaction in creating because
that is the work God equipped us to do. Let’s make room for the messiness of
creating for our children – they are following the lead of their creator!
SJ
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