Crossing the big Sidney Baker bridge over the Guadalupe River one day, my three-year-old offered up from the backseat, “Mommy! I see the river!”
I absent-mindedly answered, “Mmmhmm, I see it, too.”
Silence ensued, until abruptly my son exclaimed, “His hands are allll wetttt!”
I asked, “What? Whose hands are all wet?”
He replied, “God’s! From Him making the river!”
My son rightfully attributed all the creation he looked upon as originating from God. He is the Creator of all things, and creative to the infinite degree. Just look at us! No two are exactly alike.
We know from the Bible that God has deposited within every individual a set of distinct abilities and traits. Furthermore, we know that we are created in His image. So, it stands to reason that the gifts He gives us are reflections of His own character. Humankind is a great tapestry, diverse in every conceivable way, and we are a cumulative reflection of the One who created us. Not sharing the complete picture of “you” with the world means the world is missing out on the “you” aspect of our Heavenly Father. Burying our talents and creative tendencies is like hiding a trait of God Himself from the rest of humanity.
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
Romans 12:4-6
Some of you may be thinking, “Well, I’m just not that creative,” or “I’m not really good at anything.” Not true. Every part of the body holds a function, and God-given gifts are those that have been with us since the beginning. Think back to when you were a child. Did you love to color? Play with blocks? Take things apart and put them back together again? Play catch? Tell stories?
Whatever that activity was, I want to encourage you to pick it back up, dust it off, and enjoy it once again. Use the good gifts God has deposited within you. I believe God gives us natural proficiencies, or at least enjoyment, in the areas where He wants to use us for His kingdom purposes. Our gifts and abilities are the unique ways we can reach someone desperate for the good news of Jesus Christ; and, because of our unique makeup, we may be the only person who can!
I am going to share with you something I used to do frequently when I was young, that I have not done in a very long time: write poetry. I wrote notebooks upon notebooks of poetry in the past. So, in an effort to listen to my own sermonette here, below you will find my first poem in decades, that I penned just last week.
Creatively His,
Nicki
Oceans
by Nicki Dechert Carlson
Humans of all ages laugh and play
Happy squeals pierce my ears
Recreation
Salty breezes tickle my lips and face
Sunlight warms my skin
Renewal
Seagulls circle overhead and beside
Turtles rise to the surface
Recognition
Cool water washes over and under
Rhythmic and melodious
Repetition
Sediment of suffering and exhaustion
Weathers away like the shore
Rebirth
Signs of a creative and powerful God
A breathtaking display
Restoration
