If you go to the Polyface Farm website you will read about their passion. “We are in the redemption business: healing the land, healing the food, healing the economy, and healing the culture.”
As we look at our organizations or even our own lives, do we see any real change being played out? Are we significantly contributing in any way? Are we bringing healing to the lives of people around us?
The Creation Narrative in Genesis is about creating and building. It was about God with Adam and Eve designing and growing. It was about Adam naming animals, it was about God inviting Adam and Eve to oversee and guide His Creation.
A few chapters later, (Genesis 10) God’s resetting His creation by inviting Noah’s sons to be the new “Adam” and rebuild and re-create humanity.
Genesis 11 was story of humanity building a tower to reach the heavens. While the agenda of the people of Babel was about making a name for themselves (and disregarding God’s agenda to create for Him). Nevertheless, people were creating and designing. They were making a tall structure, why? Because they are wired to build.
We know from the first couple Chapters of Genesis that God was (to over simplify) a Creator and Designer. Being made in His Image (this could be argued to mean many things), we are at our core designers and builders…even when we do it for our own ideals.
This is why it goes against our very souls to be such consumers of stuff. Not because the stuff we consume is inherently bad or evil but because we were made to create and design not consume. Our ability to “make” is a God-given desire.
So as we go into 2010 what are we going to make? Or better yet, in whom are we going to invest and create? What lives are we going to bring along with us in our own learning’s?
My desire for 2010 is to be more focused on designing and creating lives than just consuming for my own needs. Why? Because to crate and design is to bring about redemption and healing…because it’s how we have been made!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve heard far too often the twist on the “God the Creator” story that says that all of this was created for our pleasure, our usage, our pillaging, our abuse, etc: all of these things are yours, now go and use them as irresponsibly as you like. God’s gonna blow this planet up during Armageddon anyway….
That colors a lot of our thought processes I think as a people. Yes, God has provided for us, but certainly we’re to do it responsibly? Otherwise it’s destructive, which is very much not in the image of God.
But I love your thought process – we’re created to create, we’re created to make things better, to leave things and people better than when we got here. We’re blessed to be a blessing.
Desmond:
I completely agree…Our ability to create is for the purpose of others. Israel was the original people who were intended to extend this “blessing” and now The Church (as the new Israel) has been commissioned to create for mission and purpose.