The World Created

A lot of people look at the world and can't really believe in God.
I have heard it a million times again.
"If God existed, there wouldn't be this or that."
And I understand why that would be.

Because when I look at the world, I see only an echo of God
in the midst of a lot of injustice and suffering.

After all, shouldn't God be like the world He created?

I mean, don't we all believe that the art reflects the artist?

I don't know much about art, but I know that I can look
at Starry Night and understand a bit about Van Gogh.
And the way he saw the sky.

And it's funny, because as an English major,
we were always taught that we can't assume that an
author writes about stuff from his or her own life.

And we were always taught that we can't even assume
that the author completely believes in the message
he or she gives in the writing.

But doesn't that seem problematic?
Who writes of things they don't believe in?

So in truth, I don't think anybody really follows it that well.
Even though it's against the rules, every person judges the artist
based upon the art. And most everyone thinks that it is possible
to understand the artist and the values kept by this person,
based upon......the art.

So then...it seems obvious and natural that people
would judge God, the artist, on His art: the world.

And the world is not that pretty anymore, to say the least.
And therefore, it must mean that the Creator God,
at least in part, is a little bit like the distorted
world He created.

It must mean that maybe God
isn't that pretty...or that good. Right?

Confession: I think there are days when I hold a view
of God based upon things I see in the world.

"Ya know, He could have done something about THAT."
Don't you think? He could have done something
about DARFUR, or Hurricane Katrina, or.....

But the reality is--He didn't create this world.
He didn't create suffering and sin for us.
He created the Garden of Eden.

And we all know this is no Garden of Eden.

And so all we see in this world is an echo, or a shadow,
or mere pieces of the artist.

But I still find it easy, at times, to blame the original artist.
For the world I created. For the world my sin permeates.

It's as if I take Starry Night off the wall--smear red paint
all over it, throw it, tear it to pieces,
and then looked back in disdain at Van Gogh himself,
blaming him for the ruined art. Not exactly my finest moment.

But I do that. And simply because in my mind,
Van Gogh had a chance to stop me, or whoever
else was going to try to ruin his art.

And I want to place the blame on someone else. anyone else.
So I choose to forget my own responsibility.
I choose to forget that I took part in damaging the art.

I have to admit that I really wish that this world
reflected it's Creator better.
Because He is a worthy and beautiful artist.
And I think He gets a lot of blame for the
world as it currently is.

I really wish it wasn't such a barrier,
and I wish we could clearly see His work as it was intended.

But I know that without Jesus, the One who is good and loving
and just, the world we created is hopeless.

And without Him, we have no hope to change it, to redeem it,
and live in peace within it.

But currently, when we work to redeem it, to set it right, to bring
Christ's love into the world we created--we are really working
to restore Eden, to restore our fellowship with God,
and to allow others to see the world, at least in part,
as God intended it.

And when we are like Christ, we are showing people God's art
as it was intended. And we are helping them understand the
Artist in a world that doesn't do that very well anymore.

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus
to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
~Ephesians 2:10