City Life Starter

Written by Paul Lane

The Word

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

Genesis 1:3-5 (NIV)

²³ The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

Genesis 2:23 (NIV)

“³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

Genesis 6:38 (NKJV)

“Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men.”

Proverbs 22:29 (NKJV)

Reflection

You should know that creativity, or the making of new things, or invention is not restricted to Christians alone. Rather it is something that is alive in each person.  If you are terrible at drawing, that doesn’t mean that you can’t create. Over the weekend I had an interesting conversation with a professional French horn player. He and his wife make a living as musicians, and I asked him if he ever wrote music. I assume that he would say something like, “a little” or “not much.” But he said, “oh, no. Not me.” Which made me think that he was going to say that he is not creative. Instead, he said that once the score is written, he then knows how to bring it to life. 

There is a special thing about man, people, that drives them to make things different, or better than they were. There’s a point that C. S. Lewis makes about pot making. He says that the person that made the first pot must have been thought to be a genius in their culture. But if you made that same pot after a thousand years of pot making you would be considered a dunce. It is as if, culture, or society, or man, is going in a certain direction and each of us is either along for the ride or driving the bus. I must confess that sometimes I drive, but most often I ride.

There is an amazing parallel in the first two chapters of Genesis. God starts the rhyme and then Adam picks it up. God says “Let there be light,” then Adam says, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh.”  God calls out the waters, the dry land, the days and the nights, while Adam names the animals.  As this drama plays out, it leads to Adam and Eve at the apex of creation, in the garden, in intimate fellowship and unashamed. They are God’s students and they seemed to have learned the lesson well, do as the Father does. 

Application

Often people get stuck thinking negative thoughts about their own abilities, and that keeps them from trying new things. Or it keeps them from following through on things that they have started. “Oh, I’m no good at this” or “it’ll never turn out right” are often the thoughts that win the day. And I’m not ready to say that if you just stick to whatever you try, it will work out.  There are things that you certainly should not try (note to self to cancel that tryout for the Houston Texans). But I think you will find the place of brightest light starts with a right relationship with God.  There, I think you will find that God will lead and give you the staying power to get to the other side of the task. And when it is done you will find the garden, and fellowship, and place where shame does not abound.

Prayer

Dear Lord, teach me to always live within the knowledge of You, that I might be an effective witness for Your kingdom and a worthy vessel of Your truth. Amen.