Creator
“(They) had never seen such a sun…You could imagine that it laughed for joy as it came up. And as its beams shot across the land the travelers could see for the first time what sort of place they were in. It was a valley through which a broad, swift river wound its way, flowing eastward towards the sun. Southward there were mountains, northward there were lower hills…The earth was of many colours: they were fresh, hot and vivid. They made you feel excited; until you saw the Singer himself, and then you forgot everything else.”
- C.S. Lewis from The Magician’s Nephew
The kids from the Chronicles of Narnia are seeing something that most of us have only experienced in the opening pages of Genesis or on felt boards in old Sunday school classes. They are witnessing Aslan (the Singer) creating the heavens and the earth.
They have been captivated by choruses of voices with stars and constellations exploding into the sky. The reality that the world was being formed around them, but in the darkness of night. Then, the sun rises and they are getting a look at creation for the first time. It is breathtaking and overwhelming, until…
…they get a look at the Creator.
Because once you get a good look. An uninhibited and unjaundiced look. One without prejudice or influence from everything that has been attached to Him that shouldn’t have been. Once you see Him for who He really is, how could you refuse him? Julie Miller penned these classic lyrics in an old Christian song…
“If Christ himself were standing here
Face full of glory and eyes full of tears
And he held out his arms and his nail printed hands
Is there any way you could say no to this man?”
John Muir got it really right. While he felt the same sense of awe and overwhelm that many worshippers of nature do when he entered Yosemite Valley, he knew that the real glory was in the Creator.
If the creation doesn’t reflect back on the source you are really missing the point.
I have often felt that surfers get it all right and all wrong at the same time. They experience the power and sense of unity as they cooperate with creation in every wave they ride. They talk about it in the most reverent and spiritual of tones. But if the ultimate “stoke” isn’t found in the One who ultimately generated the waves they enjoy, they’ve completely missed the point.
As generative governors (life giving leaders), we pray that the generosity you offer and the life you bring, doesn’t only acknowledge Him, but is wholly evocative of that source. We pray that when they see you and the things you do, they are really experiencing and catching a glimpse of Him.
- When is the last time you were overwhelmed by the majesty of His creation?
- Was that beauty in and of itself or did it immediately draw you to Him?
- How are you connecting and bringing the glory of the Creator and His creation to those you love and lead?