When creativity speaks

Some weeks ago, at our church’s Christmas fair, I bought a unique, handmade doll. She was one of many beautiful, quirky creations sitting hopefully on a table, as if looking for their rightful owners. The lady selling them explained she started making them during COVID as a way of expressing some of the bewilderment and angst many people were experiencing then, but later began bringing other whimsical ideas to life from the various materials she had at hand.

As soon as I saw my special, little purple person, I fell in love with her. Yes, she has an unusual face, along with elfin ears, glittery wings and an interesting outfit – perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, as I soon discovered! Some think she is weird, but to me, she epitomises so much – creativity plus, dedication and hard work, resourcefulness, a wonderful, whimsical imagination and plain, good old fun. At first, I could not decide on a name for her. Perhaps Esmeralda – or the more exotic Amethyst Aurelia? Eventually, after some discussion with our daughter on this weighty matter, we decided on Esmeralda (‘Essie’ for short) but also kept Amethyst Aurelia, as her possible future stage name – or perhaps simply as her own little escape from reality.

My special purchase caused quite a stir among family and friends and eventually one lovely friend, Debbie, decided to create a large, whimsical collage of Essie for my study wall, using the same colour theme and general idea. I was indeed touched by her efforts on my behalf and in awe of her ability to find the time to produce any sort of creative artwork. But I also sensed as I accepted her special gift how important it could be for her, in the midst of her super-busy life, to explore her own creativity and enjoy producing whatever ideas come to her mind too.

As I sit in my study now, with Essie perched on a nearby bookshelf, other beautiful artworks elsewhere, including several small paintings and a wonderful, framed piece of cross-stitch, and my collage on the wall behind me, I reflect on where all this creativity comes from. Out of my study window, I can see God’s amazing creations too – plants of varying shapes and sizes and shrubs with different shades and types of foliage. I can see the beautifully patterned trunks of tall gum trees and glimpse the sky too, grey today but often a pretty, pristine blue. I glance down at my hands on the keyboard then, such amazing creations in themselves in the way they function and perform so many complex tasks at the slightest instigation of our brains.

Surely our own creativity mirrors the heart of our amazing Creator God whose work, displayed each day in our own bodies and everywhere else in nature, speaks of such incredible, ongoing goodness, power, mercy and love. And, surely, our own hearts need to speak out our praise in return and do our best to display that same loving, creative heart to those around us.

Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!

…
When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:1a,3–4

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In safe hands

I love the Psalms. I find myself constantly gravitating back to them for all sorts of reasons – when the world seems particularly chaotic, with wars raging on various fronts, when I am concerned about loved ones closer to home and when I am feeling tired or a little anxious myself. Often, the one huge lesson I take from reading them is that God is ultimately in charge – and what a reassuring truth that is, whatever is happening around me.

Recently, I began reading Psalm 93 but stopped after only the first couple of lines because I wanted to take in as best I could what they said:

The Lord reigns, he is robed in majesty;
    the Lord is robed in majesty and armed with strength. Psalm 93:1a

On one level, these statements are so simple, yet on another level, they are so profound. To me, they were like a breath of fresh air – or rather a strong gust of wind, lifting me above the troubles of the world and focusing my mind on who the Lord actually is. What a victorious declaration about our glorious God! To me, these words shouted almost defiantly, ‘Hold on! Remember you belong to the Lord of the universe who still reigns supreme, who is strong enough to withstand any challenges and who is still in charge, whatever is happening around you right now.’

After a while, I moved on but stopped dead again when I came to the following questions in the middle of Psalm 94:

Take notice, you senseless ones among the people;
    you fools, when will you become wise?
Does he who fashioned the ear not hear?
    Does he who formed the eye not see?
Does he who disciplines nations not punish?
    Does he who teaches mankind lack knowledge? Psalm 94:9–10

I think we would all agree these questions pack quite a punch, don’t they? Obviously, the answer to them all is self-evident. Who knows when the foolish will ever become wise? Surely the Lord who made our eyes and ears is able to see and hear all things? Surely he who has the ability to bring whole countries into line will deal justly with everyone? And surely the Lord, the source of all wisdom and knowledge, knows everything too?

Sometimes we cannot see why our Almighty God does not act in a given situation in the way we think is right. Sometimes, we may even wonder where God is in the midst of such turmoil in our world. Yet God is present and is watching at all times. Our Lord is strong and mighty and just.

When I read these words, I immediately felt my spirit lift. I even sat up straighter and taller because these questions reminded me who I actually belong to – the most amazing, powerful God of the universe who was and is and always will be.

A few verses later, I was reminded that our Almighty God also cares deeply about us and longs to comfort us:

When I said, ‘My foot is slipping,’
    your unfailing love, Lord, supported me.
When anxiety was great within me,
    your consolation brought me joy. Psalm 94:18–19

We are indeed in safe hands when those hands belong to our Lord who is so strong and able, yet also unfailingly loving, understanding and compassionate.

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Eyes to see

It is amazing how much we can take for granted in the world around us, don’t you think? So often, in my preoccupation with other matters in my life, I forget to pause and gaze in awe all over again at God’s incredible creativity everywhere. Instead, I need to remember to stop, open my eyes and truly appreciate the wonders around me – from the tiniest insect or flower to the millions of galaxies in our vast universe. 

Recently, my husband gave me some beautiful flowers as he often does. I love having flowers in our home but, as I looked at the fronds of Geraldton Wax included in this particular arrangement, I remembered how their little flowers and tiny, spiky leaves tend to fall so easily. A couple of days later, I found one stray blossom already lying on our tablecloth. I picked it up, without even really looking at it, and went to throw it in the bin. Then I peered closer and was so in awe of what I saw. There was so much beauty and intricacy on display in this one tiny flower – from its delicate, pink-white petals to its perfectly symmetrical centre, ringed with what looked like a minute, white frill. Even the stem from which it had fallen was beautifully shaped and balanced, with more delicate blossoms dotted here and there. I almost missed it all – what a shame that would have been.

Around the same time, our daughter stayed with us overnight on her way home from visiting Uluru. An American friend with some vision impairment accompanied her and they had a wonderful time. But the highlight for our daughter – and definitely for her friend – occurred one evening when a guide talked about the stars all so clearly visible in that area and how they have always aided the indigenous people to find their way and understand what they are showing them. Soon after, our daughter noticed her friend crying. It turned out this was the first time ever that this girl had been able to see any stars at all – and what a wonderful display of them there was that night in those black, velvety skies in Central Australia! Our daughter almost cried as well as she witnessed the depth of her friend’s special, unforgettable experience.

I am unsure whether either of them thought at that point about who created those stars, but King David certainly did:

When I consider your heavens,
    the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
    which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
    human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:3

As for those tiny flowers, Jesus himself urges us to think about them too:

‘Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you – you of little faith!’ Luke 12:27–28.

Yes, God is indeed ‘mindful’ and caring of us. May we not be among those who have little faith but, instead, open our eyes and hearts and praise God for it all.

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A lesson from a little gift

One recent afternoon, we heard a loud ‘rat-a-tat-tat’ at our front door and found our lovely friend there, holding a small, glass vase in her hand that contained a beautiful, pink camelia and some dainty, little blue flowers.

‘This is for you,’ she told me. ‘Someone gave me this camelia and it’s so perfect, I thought you would enjoy it too. The little blue flowers are forget-me-nots.’

After she left, I sat gazing at those beautiful flowers for a long time. The camelia was indeed exquisite, almost salmon pink in colour, with each petal overlapping the next in such an orderly, perfect way and changing to a lighter shade as the petals spiralled out from the centre. But the forget-me-nots captured my attention too, the dainty, baby-blue flowers in each cluster absolutely perfect in themselves, with their bright yellow centres and white, starlike markings on the tiny petals. How could so much beauty exist in such minuscule form? Surely only the hand of a loving, overwhelmingly creative God could produce something amazing like this?

I remembered then the first few lines of a poem I wrote some years ago on this same theme:

Did you have fun, Lord, creating such beauty

for us your children to enjoy?

It’s as if in pure delight you waved your palette high

and splashed your vibrant colours everywhere with glee,

as if you had to share each fresh design of flower

and then, in pure extravagance,

add speckles to already perfect petals.

Truly, the natural world around us brims with wonderful extravagances of colour and design and intricacy. And it has always blown my mind that many of the tiny flowers and plants and animals and insects created by God will never even be seen by human beings. Perhaps their habitat is some hidden corner in a jungle or some isolated spot in a dry, desert area, far from any sort of civilisation—yet still they flourish. Thomas Gray expressed this same thought in his poem ‘Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard’ which I remember being drawn to in my early teens when we studied it in our English class:

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,           

  And waste its sweetness on the desert air.

But, above all, as I sat gazing at my little posy, I remembered some words Jesus once said that encourage us not to worry:

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?” Matthew 6:28-30

I continued sitting there for some time, sensing God’s presence around me and taking in the lesson I was doubtless being taught through my special flowers. Yes, I could indeed trust God to provide for me and those close to me in every way. I need not worry, because I belong to a loving, creative God who is more than able to care for me—and for you. Surely a lesson worth learning all over again, don’t you think?

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Soldiering on

I sometimes seem to live my life as if those around me are going to be here forever, even if they are not young anymore. Of course they will be there to talk to, I think. Of course we can do this or that together. Then the day comes when they are not there any longer and I am shocked. How can this be?

In my more rational moments, I know this is not how things work. Our time on earth is finite, however much we may try to stave off that day. People become ill and cannot be cured. Terrible disasters occur, ending even young lives, while those of us who are left become older and frailer. Yet it can still be hard to accept another’s death, whatever age they are. They were here. They were real. They were alive—and now they are no longer.

This past week, we heard of the deaths of two older friends. The first was a gentleman in his nineties who always impressed us with his zest for life and his deep commitment to God and his church. Even until the last year or two, he would bake trays of cakes for youth and outreach events at church or for the spring fair in the village where we live. He also loved writing and art and singing—he was an all-round creative person. Right now, I believe he will be rejoicing in heaven in the perfect presence of his Creator God, which is wonderful. Yet it seemed to us as if this larger-than-life person would always be here.

The second person was our lovely neighbour, Ruth, who used to live in the unit opposite us, until moving into aged care. She was in her eighties and had been unwell for some years, yet each day when she could, she would sit on her little stool, digging in her garden and caring for each plant and flower. She was a writer too—such an intelligent, interesting person. But above all, she loved God wholeheartedly and served in the Salvation Army all her life. We were still in the process of moving into our unit when she told me she had been praying for us for some time. And, on occasions, she would come to our door, holding some beans or tomatoes or other produce from her garden, and tell me they were a gift to us as ‘first fruits’ from her harvest. It is wonderful to think that, right now, she too is completely whole again in God’s presence. She was a faithful soldier all her life—and now she has marched right on into heaven.

This news of the passing of these two faithful soldiers has made me look at my own life again. There is no doubt both loved God with all their hearts. They served God and others their whole lives and were ready to meet their Lord. In my mind, I can hear each of them saying, along with the Apostle Paul, not in any boasting way but as mere statements of fact:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

Whenever my turn comes, I want to be able to say that too, with humility but also with deep certainty, don’t you?

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