What do you really see when you look in the mirror? You probably notice the lines that were not there a year ago. The scar just beneath your chin from when you went head-first over your bicycle when you were a kid and they stitched you up with little thought to “cosmetic” effect. Your eye is drawn to your retreating hairline or your sagging skin. Your eyes have seen the pleasing and the ugly. You may even look at your face in the mirror and wonder, as we all do, is that really who I am? Not because of the flaws, but because you know that your soul is too big to be circumscribed in a face.
But this would be a good thing to think when you look in the mirror: creation. God chose me to be. And whether I feel well-connected right now or terribly estranged, I really am part of a vast creative work. It isn’t just God and me in the world. I’m part of a whole. If this is a good day because good things happen it’s not just for me to feel good. It is the hand of the Creator moving across the plane in which I live. And if this is a bad day because bad things happen, it is probably because this whole thing that I’m part of, this universe, this fabric, has stresses and strains on it all the time. It all fits together, but some days, it falls to pieces.
If you believe in “God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth,” if you believe that “in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1) out of the darkness and the void, then that will determine the basic structure of your life. This is the genesis. It is your genesis. It is the first flash of subatomic energy, the first explosion of real matter, and the first breath of the first living creature. It is the moment of your mother’s egg and father’s seed joining and a complete set of chromosomes, the pattern of your genetic self, established.
If you believe in the creation, then you will also say:
To understand my life, and my purpose in life, I need to go continually back to God. He is the designer. He is the artisan. He had intent. We need to understand it. Because we are here by act of creation and not by accident, we bear an honor and a responsibility. We are part of a larger community; we are stewards of a vast world. We are not just one more species of carnivore trying to get a bigger hunk of meat than the next carnivore. We are to serve as the conscience of the earth.
[Excerpt from Putting the Pieces Back Together: How Real Life and Real Faith Connect]
This is so timely and so needed! I have just been through a rough 15 months due to happenings that were out of my control…others brought it into my life and left me with the resulting damage. Through it all, I leaned on God knowing that He knew my thoughts and knew well how to guide me. My words were His when I could be calm and let Him speak! It is so wise to lead us back to God as He is the artist of “me” and when troubled only He can give me helpful guidance that is best for me!
I love the statement above: “And if this is a bad day because bad things happen, it is probably because this whole thing I am a part of, this universe, this fabric, has stresses and strains on it all the time. It all fits together, but some days, it falls to pieces”. Such wise, gentle wisdom! I hope to be able to get the book Putting the Pieces Back Together soon. Thank you!
I was with you for the whole article until you said “We are to serve as the conscience of the earth.” It sounds like a huge responsibility but I don’t really know what that means. I love the sentence “we bear an honor and a responsibility”. I believe as Christians we are responsible to live out the truth (as best we can) as God defines truth in the bible and I think you may be referring to that statement when you talk about the “conscience of the earth” but would like to hear more about that.
Thanks for the question, Sue. What I mean by “we are to serve as the conscience of the earth” is that Genesis 1 and 2 indicate that we have a stewardship over the earth. Genesis 2:15 says: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” And Genesis 1:28 says: “God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.'”
Christians usually take these passages to mean that human beings are entrusted with God to care for what he has created. Since only human beings are moral because they are made in the image of God, they have conscience. That’s what I mean by “we are to serve as the conscience of the earth.”
Absolutely brillant….it summarised perfectly exactly what God has been leading me through….Ive printed it to give to a friend wwho has been exploring the same thoughts…..thanks!
Just reading this part makes me want to buy the book! I am overweight and I have never felt comfortable with myself (even when I was skinny). I like how the author talks about this is the way God made me. I am a perfect creation to him. Yes I do need to lose weight, but to serve him better.
I believe you are right on target. It brings back to the basic understanding of God as our triune God.