Constant Creation
I could continue to obsess about myself, my future, my internal health and issues, or I could dialogue with God, the Universe, Source, Creator, about life, the universe and everything!
On my way back from the home of a massage client one recent evening, I decided to take the long way through Garden of the Gods. The massive rock formations at sunset are pretty much hard to resist on any day, but that day, I was feeling particularly happy. I had been through several hard days and I honestly didn’t know why. Things from the past and worries were surfacing and I know better now not to stuff them down into the realm of “you shouldn’t feel that way, Lisa.” But nevertheless that is what I was doing. All I knew was, I was tired of feeling worried about the future in particular. Being single at my age and wondering what the future is going to hold, particularly as a writer, gets a little scary sometimes. A novelist is at the whims of so many people, people you can neither control nor predict.
But I had a thought upon exiting my client’s neighborhood. I could continue to obsess about myself, my future, my internal health and issues, or I could dialogue with the God, the Universe, Source, Creator, about life, the universe and everything! What a revelation! Here I was so worried about myself all the time, my griefs, my failings, my future, when I know God will always answer my questions when I ask them, without fail. Now, God doesn’t always answer them right away, but if I’m looking for it, the answer always comes. Sometimes they come right into my head in a stream of consciousness that totally knows things I don’t. Sometimes they come through a book, a movie, a song, the words of a family member or friend. Sometimes they come in the birds, a rainbow, in short, in nature itself.
I realized, in a way, I had the world at my feet, and so much more. And I was always wasting time asking if there was a publisher out there that would want my next book, will I make rent next April, if carbs were messing with my head, and if I would ever have to worry about my C-section scar being seen by someone of the opposite gender ever again. Oh, and so many, many more! I mean, how many times can a person ask these questions like a broken record? Let me tell you. Plenty.
The beauty of Garden of the Gods inspired me. And I asked about the creation of the universe, how it happened. Well, if you want to know, it’s still happening. Honestly, I’ve never understood why a lot of people have trouble with the Big Bang Theory. Seriously. If God spoke the world into existence, how do you think that happened? Energy translated into matter, because the Word is, well, a great big sound, and sound is vibration, and here we are! Neat-O, God! You speak one word and all this happens? One word for a story like this? It takes me at least 80,000 and a year to get my story out. If that isn’t impressive, I don’t know what is.
But the truth is, it didn’t stop there. God is always in the process of creating this world we live in, and what is more God does it through us, through the animals, the water, the winds, the earthquakes. He does it through decay, dismantling, erosion, and crumbling. If you think about it, creation never stops. We are always in the process of creating. Making meals, hairdos, putting together outfits and our homes, on a smaller scale. Making cars, houses, buildings, roads, bridges, things to make roads, on a larger scale. We create interiorly, ideas that help others deal with their sorrows or increase their joys. And the earth itself is in a constant state of creation, burrowing animals and insects quietly changing topography one mouthful or scoop of soil at a time, beavers building dams. Water creates the grandest canyons, seismic pressure the most majestic of mountains, wind carving what it will, all a marvelous, continuing creation. Creation never stopped. God uses all of it, all the time, and indeed, is in it, the very source of light and energy that fuels it all.
I like that thought. I like that God moves in and around and through us to keep this all continuing, and maybe faith is believing it’s all turning out for good, all turning into something beautiful. I know it doesn’t seem like that at times. We find ourselves dealing with an illness, or grieving over the loss of someone we deeply loved and feeling adrift. We find ourselves saying goodbye to relationships we once held dear, jobs we loved, places that are hard to lose. We can find ourselves adrift for as many unique reasons are there are human beings. But, like the scorching sun, the runnels of heavy rain that turn into floods and rivers that carve through rocks, the biting winds and snow, hail and ice, these things go deep into us, carving out the things that keep us from beauty so rarified and astounding we would have to catch our breath at our own magnificence.
Yes, there are those of us who choose to be created and to create themselves into things of beauty in more gentle ways. They don’t seem to need the torrents and tumults. I was not one of them, I assure you! But I think of my friend, Deb, a fellow writer whose life has been as gentle and kind as she is. And then I think of others I know who have dealt with situations that make anything I’ve gone through pale in comparison. I guess what I’m trying to say is that comparing the tools it takes to create us into creatures that resemble the Creator can only lead to confusion and heartache. They are varied and unique to each human being. It sure does help, however, when we finally realize what is going on.
And another thought was blown through my mind as I drove by the formations that were once sea beds. Sea beds, now standing up at ninety degree angles from the earth! What force, what power, what upheaval to create truly, this rock garden of God.
“It wasn’t bad before, Lisa. It was just different.”
Before the Grand Canyon was carved, I’ll bet it was beautiful there. Before the mountains were formed, I have a feeling the earth was dandy just how it was.
“You want to blame yourself for how you were, make yourself so bad. You have listened to others tell you that you weren’t nice, you were crazy, that you were a bitch, that you were a horrible person. You weren’t. You were just different. Just like the sea bed that became the Garden of the Gods.”
Wow, God, seriously? Did I hear that? I thought I was in the business of becoming less horrible.
We are all mixed bags at this point. No matter how much I learn of the ways of God, I know I still have so much to learn. But what if this life is about creating? What if it isn’t so much about beating ourselves into submission but creating, and recreating, every day, every year, something deeper, more beautiful and inspiring than before? What if “before” wasn’t so bad? What if it was just a place to begin, like today, and today, and today?
How would you live your life differently if you realized you weren’t changing because you were made flawed and ignorant by your Creator? What if you were here to become like God, a creator, becoming more and more beautiful, more loving, deeper, and more compassionate for all that you’ve experienced and all that you met and met you in your becoming?
God makes all things beautiful in his time. And so do you. So go forth, you little creator, making beautiful things, be beautiful. Carve out the things which keep you from deepening your love, your creative force, your life, your compassion, your most awesome being, reflecting the image of the One who is Love.
On my way back from the home of a massage client one recent evening, I decided to take the long way through Garden of the Gods. The massive rock formations at sunset are pretty much hard to resist on any day, but that day, I was feeling particularly happy. I had been through several hard days and I honestly didn’t know why. Things from the past and worries were surfacing and I know better now not to stuff them down into the realm of “you shouldn’t feel that way, Lisa.” But nevertheless that is what I was doing. All I knew was, I was tired of feeling worried about the future in particular. Being single at my age and wondering what the future is going to hold, particularly as a writer, gets a little scary sometimes. A novelist is at the whims of so many people, people you can neither control nor predict.
I realized, in a way, I had the world at my feet, and so much more. And I was always wasting time asking if there was a publisher out there that would want my next book, will I make rent next April, if carbs were messing with my head, and if I would ever have to worry about my C-section scar being seen by someone of the opposite gender ever again. Oh, and so many, many more! I mean, how many times can a person ask these questions like a broken record? Let me tell you. Plenty.
The beauty of Garden of the Gods inspired me. And I asked about the creation of the universe, how it happened. Well, if you want to know, it’s still happening. Honestly, I’ve never understood why a lot of people have trouble with the Big Bang Theory. Seriously. If God spoke the world into existence, how do you think that happened? Energy translated into matter, because the Word is, well, a great big sound, and sound is vibration, and here we are! Neat-O, God! You speak one word and all this happens? One word for a story like this? It takes me at least 80,000 and a year to get my story out. If that isn’t impressive, I don’t know what is.
But the truth is, it didn’t stop there. God is always in the process of creating this world we live in, and what is more God does it through us, through the animals, the water, the winds, the earthquakes. He does it through decay, dismantling, erosion, and crumbling. If you think about it, creation never stops. We are always in the process of creating. Making meals, hairdos, putting together outfits and our homes, on a smaller scale. Making cars, houses, buildings, roads, bridges, things to make roads, on a larger scale. We create interiorly, ideas that help others deal with their sorrows or increase their joys. And the earth itself is in a constant state of creation, burrowing animals and insects quietly changing topography one mouthful or scoop of soil at a time, beavers building dams. Water creates the grandest canyons, seismic pressure the most majestic of mountains, wind carving what it will, all a marvelous, continuing creation. Creation never stopped. God uses all of it, all the time, and indeed, is in it, the very source of light and energy that fuels it all.
I like that thought. I like that God moves in and around and through us to keep this all continuing, and maybe faith is believing it’s all turning out for good, all turning into something beautiful. I know it doesn’t seem like that at times. We find ourselves dealing with an illness, or grieving over the loss of someone we deeply loved and feeling adrift. We find ourselves saying goodbye to relationships we once held dear, jobs we loved, places that are hard to lose. We can find ourselves adrift for as many unique reasons are there are human beings. But, like the scorching sun, the runnels of heavy rain that turn into floods and rivers that carve through rocks, the biting winds and snow, hail and ice, these things go deep into us, carving out the things that keep us from beauty so rarified and astounding we would have to catch our breath at our own magnificence.
Yes, there are those of us who choose to be created and to create themselves into things of beauty in more gentle ways. They don’t seem to need the torrents and tumults. I was not one of them, I assure you! But I think of my friend, Deb, a fellow writer whose life has been as gentle and kind as she is. And then I think of others I know who have dealt with situations that make anything I’ve gone through pale in comparison. I guess what I’m trying to say is that comparing the tools it takes to create us into creatures that resemble the Creator can only lead to confusion and heartache. They are varied and unique to each human being. It sure does help, however, when we finally realize what is going on.
And another thought was blown through my mind as I drove by the formations that were once sea beds. Sea beds, now standing up at ninety degree angles from the earth! What force, what power, what upheaval to create truly, this rock garden of God.
“It wasn’t bad before, Lisa. It was just different.”
Before the Grand Canyon was carved, I’ll bet it was beautiful there. Before the mountains were formed, I have a feeling the earth was dandy just how it was.
“You want to blame yourself for how you were, make yourself so bad. You have listened to others tell you that you weren’t nice, you were crazy, that you were a bitch, that you were a horrible person. You weren’t. You were just different. Just like the sea bed that became the Garden of the Gods.”
Wow, God, seriously? Did I hear that? I thought I was in the business of becoming less horrible.
We are all mixed bags at this point. No matter how much I learn of the ways of God, I know I still have so much to learn. But what if this life is about creating? What if it isn’t so much about beating ourselves into submission but creating, and recreating, every day, every year, something deeper, more beautiful and inspiring than before? What if “before” wasn’t so bad? What if it was just a place to begin, like today, and today, and today?
How would you live your life differently if you realized you weren’t changing because you were made flawed and ignorant by your Creator? What if you were here to become like God, a creator, becoming more and more beautiful, more loving, deeper, and more compassionate for all that you’ve experienced and all that you met and met you in your becoming?
God makes all things beautiful in his time. And so do you. So go forth, you little creator, making beautiful things, be beautiful. Carve out the things which keep you from deepening your love, your creative force, your life, your compassion, your most awesome being, reflecting the image of the One who is Love.
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