Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

The writer of the 139^th  Psalm, King David, expressed centuries ago what science now proclaims – the magnificence and complexity of our human minds.  Not only are we the only species to inhabit planet earth that has a soul; within our marvelous framework we have the ability to reflect God’s image in using His gifts of creativity and intellect. Only people build bridges and hospitals, write novels and compose symphonies.  God, who loves to give good gifts to His children (Matthew 7:11) revels in endless variety.  Just look at us!   

Recently I had the opportunity to take a course that challenged us to develop God given talents and strengths for ministry.  This course utilized findings from the Gallup International Research & Education Center.  The research included findings from two million interviews taken over the last thirty years.  We learned that not only is the human brain amazingly complex –  but that each of our unique talents are formed early on – in the womb!  “Your synapses create your talents.  So how are your synaptic connections made?  Forty-two days after you are conceived, your brain experiences a four-month growth spurt.  Actually, the word “spurt” doesn’t do justice to the sheer scale of what happens.  On your forty-second day you create your first neuron, and 120 days later you have a hundred billion of them.  That’s a staggering 9,500 new neurons every second...”  (from Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Ph. d   

The psalmist talked of God making all our delicate inner parts.  God must have been ecstatic the day He created the human brain – that amazing part of us that holds our talents, capabilities and dreams  – what a creation – what a gift!   How God must have smiled.  What obvious delight the Father takes in us, His beloved children.   

My mother’s passion is painting portraits.  She likes to paint pictures of famous people.  I remember portraits in the house of President John Kennedy and Ghandi.  But she also liked to paint pictures of someone else.  When I was growing up, she often painted pictures of me.  That made me feel incredibly loved! To think that she determinately spent hours and hours creating my image.  Think how that concept is magnified with God’s love for us!  He created each of us in His image and took the time and effort to put together each minute piece of our personalities, physical features, dominant thinking patterns and talents.  He considered every detail, and how we would all fit together for a specific purpose.     

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment, He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” [emphasis mine]  (Matthew 22:36,37) 

Loving God with all our heart and soul are natural responses when the grace of God is revealed to us.  We can’t work our way to heaven, but certainly acts of love and compassion are one way to show God we love Him.  What are some good ways to love God with all our minds?  Studying His Word is essential to growth in the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ.  Another step in loving God with all our minds is getting to know the mind God gave us, and using our intellect in service to others.   It’s worth further investigation.  Not only will we grow in usefulness to the body of Christ, but an increased understanding of the unique way God made each one of us makes one feel incredibly loved. 

13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous – and how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.  Psalm 139:13-16  New Living Translation

Three Reasons to be Creative

“Creativity is the engine that drives every form of innovation, whether a new vaccine, a river-spanning bridge, a symphony, a novel, or a work of visual art.  This wondrous capacity to make something out of nothing is unique to the human race – our birthright”.  Lewis Barrett Lehrman, author. 

As a Christian I would add that God alone truly forms something out of nothing.  However, as creative beings we are blessed with the ability to create things that are beautiful, wonderful, and or useful from basic ingredients.  Have you seen and tasted a cake made by some of our amazing bakers at church?  Flour, sugar, milk and eggs – but wow, what a delight for the eyes and palette.  Creativity! 

Creativity is included in almost every field of human endeavor.  It is not reserved for artists, musicians, writers and actors. 

Why do we create?  We are creative beings made in the image of God.  Why did God give us this wonderful gift called creativity?  First, because God loves to give his beloved children gifts.   Luke 1:13 says, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?  God gives us creativity, in part, is just to enjoy.  It’s a good and gracious gift from a loving Heavenly Father that desires to lavish His sons and daughters with good things.  James 1:17 tells us, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father or lights…” 

The second reason God gives us the gift of creativity is because being involved in creative endeavors increases our ability for appreciation the of others and their unique gifts.  When my husband was in the hospital I learned very quickly all the things he does to help keep our family afloat.  Groceries didn’t replenish themselves, the wash didn’t get up and get done on it’s own.  I appreciated in a new way his daily work to show love for our family.  Likewise, when we step out and learn something creative, like taking a music class, we learn to appreciate those who constantly give of their time and talents on the worship team.  Learning something about what others do heightens our level of appreciation.  It’s easier to celebrate the gifts of others when we understand the work and sacrifice involved to develop those gifts.  

The third reason we are given the gift of creativity is to give God glory.  Revelation 4:11 says, “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power;  for You created all things, and because of your will they existed, and were created.”  Romans 1:20 tells us that “… since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen being understood through what has been made…”  God’s creative acts declare His power and glory.  When we create, and honor Him with the talents and abilities God has given us, we reflect His power and glory.  We have the opportunity to communicate to a hurting world the very real love of a Savior who loves them. 

My favorite living artist, Stephen Gjertson from Minnesota says this:   “Art is a powerful means of communication.  The greater the work of art, the greater potential it has for good or evil.  Art can reinforce a world-view.  It can give credibility and emotional expressive power.   Works of art can be a powerful avenue for propaganda and the dissemination of truth or error.” 

Our desire to serve God with our creativity and our ideas of success are different than the world around us.  Our talents were not given to us to draw attention to ourselves.  They are for the benefit of others and for the glory of God.  Rory Noland says this:  “First Peter 5:5 tells us to clothe ourselves with humility toward one another.  We are to abandon any thoughts of superiority that would cause us to think that we deserve special treatment above others. Arrogance has no place in the heart of the Christian artist.” 

There are opportunities to celebrate and develop the God given gift of creativity in our community and in our church.  If you are stirred by the thought of devoting a season of time to expanding your horizons in the area of creativity I really encourage you to do so.   

Worship Leader of Willow Creek Church in Chicago, Rory Noland, reminds us:  “We can’t be concerned about the arts in the church without being concerned about the lives of the artists in the church.  Our character as church artists, our walk with Christ, our spiritual growth are all a vital part of creating the kind of ministry experience in which God unleashes the power of His Holy Spirit.  We need artist in the church who are known not only for their talent but also for their walk with Christ.”

Compassionate Shepherd

This is a detail of a painting I finished today and you may be wondering why I painted Jesus crying.  Well, even though Jesus certainly experienced all the emotions that we do while He walked planted earth, including laughter and joy, it is His tears of compassion that touch me most.  In fact, I tend to be a cryer when I pray.  I think that God gave us tears to express those deep emotions that just can't be expressed in any other way.  The shortest verse in the Bible is simply "Jesus wept."  Here we see the most strong and powerful being that ever existed.  And at times, He cried.  Most notably, He cried over us.  We tend to weep over those we love most.  The love in those tears are more than I can comprehend.  May you feel the mighty and compassionate love of God wrap around you today.