God's good gifts

“we don’t really create anything. we work with what has already been created - arranging the good gifts we receive in ways that are unique to us...our best work, my best work, grows out of the soil of someone else’s work and life.”

this statement found on steve bell's web site seems to fly in the face of the sentiment that our "creativity" is a reflection of having been created in God's image. to some degree it may be a matter of semantics. but all too often, when someone is making the point that we are creative because we are in the image of the Creator, it sounds too much like someone trying to hold on to some modicum of worth. it sounds like the squabbling disciples arguing about who would sit closer to Jesus in His kingdom. Jesus comments at that point should be instructional for us.

we seem to have lost the sense, as christians particularly, of recognizing that we have our worth because we are loved by God. this is not because of anything we have done.

john the baptist considered himself unworthy to even untie the sandals that Jesus wore. the apostles were joyful that they were counted by God worthy enough to suffer for the good news. the writer of Hebrews in 11:36-40 talked about the prophets whom the world was not worthy to hold. but they were found to have worth because of lives lived and lost in dedication to their creator.

as i read novels and thoughtful books that speak eloquently about deep matters of life, as i begin to enter the cyberscape of blogdom, i'm amazed at the wisdom handed down of faith/doubt. i will draw on those thoughts and struggles often as i live and grow. and as i do, it will be "out of the soil of someone else's work and life" for which i will be eternally grateful.