Embracing the Image

I have an image to embrace.

This is not the image of the perfect dad, or the cool tech dude, or the hip and relevant pastor (I’ve got the sweet goatee for that one).  I’m not talking about the image of the wise sage (long ways to go) or the almost-40-trying-to-feel-like-he’s-20 guy.  I’m not talking about the beautiful image of my wife (which I love to embrace).

This image is WAY bigger than that.

I’m talking about the image that I was created to live in: the image of God.

Okay, this may be a little theologically deeper than most of my posts, but if you’re willing to stick with me, I think you’ll find there’s something for you here too.

I’ve been preaching about the life of Moses for the last 2 months.  Here’s a few sentences of context (I bet my congregation would have liked me to do 2 months of sermons in 4 sentences).  Moses’ mom broke the “kill the baby boys” law and put him in a basket in the royal bathing spot on the Nile.  Moses was found by one of Pharaoh’s daughters and raised in the royal Egyptian family.  At the age of 40, Moses kills an Egyptian (possibly to prove himself to his Hebrew people) but is identified and flees several hundred miles to Midian territory, where he restarts his life.  At the age of 80, God met Moses by speaking to him in the form of a burning bush (yeah, pretty strange).

In that burning bush conversation, God tells Moses that He wants Moses to go back to Egypt and rally the Hebrew people. Moses asks God “If they ask me who sent me, what should I tell them?”

God tells Moses his name when He says “Tell them I AM has sent you to me.”

This is the first time in Biblical history where God gives his name.  Most Bibles have the phrase “I AM”, but the more accurate translation — yes, I’m going all pastor-geeky here for a minute — (with the correct grammatical verb tense) is…

he who causes to be

He who causes to be.

When asked to give a definition of Himself, God says that he is the one that creates.  He doesn’t mention his power, or his love, or his goodness, or his justice, or his faithfulness.  He states that he creates.

Let’s take a step back on book in the Bible to Genesis.  In the creation story, God says that he made man in His image (or His likeness).

When I’ve taught on this “image of God” concept (or had it taught to me), I’ve explained how we all have character traits of God in us: love, mercy, bravery, compassion, justice, truth, honesty, joy, gentleness.  That’s not wrong, but what if …

what if…

What if God created us to be more than people that strive to be better people?  more loving… more merciful… more brave…

What if he created us …. to be creators.

That was God’s first self-stated identity.  If we were created in his image, maybe we need to embrace his first image, that reality, that identity… as creators.

Creating homes, building things, writing books, creating art, growing food, making music, starting business, creating communities, building legacies.

And not just tinkering… but purposefully building great, significant things.

Not because we think we’re amazing or that we think we should, but because we were created to create.

For me, embracing that image requires complete surrender to it.  That means…

• turning off Facebook and the other time-wasters in my life and focusing on what God created me to do (and to be).
• listening to, and pursuing, those little (but big) ideas that have been planted in my brain, but “practical” life says are not worth the effort.
• taking risks that other people may criticize me for.

As I process through all of this, it sounds sorta crazy… but as I’ve spoken to several people about it… I’m not the only one feeling the call to create.

Wowed By My Momma Cat

Our cat had 4 kittens today and I got to be there to see it. My mind is racing with how amazing it was.

First, a little background.

1.  The cat used to be named “Muffin” until she was given to our boys, who renamed her “Wander Cat” because she wanders around town.

2.  Jodi has never been a pet person. She had a rabbit or two as a kid, but that really doesn’t count for those of us who had real pets.  I’m sure I’ll get a flood of comments and hate-mail now from the rabbit-loving nation…

3.  Wander Cat is our first cat to survive our owl-infested town for an extended period of time. She’s won the hearts of the boys, the neigbors, and even my non-pet loving wife.

That said, I happened to be home today when Wander Cat went into labor.  She got very clingy and wouldn’t let Brock (my 5 year old) or me out of her sight.  I pulled out a box with an old beach towel in it and she jumped right in.  She acted just like my wife prior to labor: she couldn’t get comfortable, she didn’t move a whole lot, and she had a look of “please don’t go anywhere right now” in her eyes when she looked at me or Brock.

Then the magic started.  Her whole midsection contracted 8 or 9 times, then there was a wet kitten.  Wander Cat immediately cleaned the kitten and cleaned up the afterbirth and the kitten immediately started to root around for some milk.  There was about a 30 minute break between each kitten.  Brock and I witnessed the first 2 births, then I had to take Brody to a Cub Scout pack meeting.

After returning home for the evening and putting the boys down to bed, Jodi and I spent about 15 minutes in with Wander Cat and the little ones.  Jodi felt her pain and knew she was hungry, so my wife put about a handful of cat-food next to Wonder Cat, who gratefully scarfed it down.

Okay, now for the reflective thoughts.  Well, it’s really one thought with a set of related thoughts…

1.  How amazing is the God who creates life! That’s the big thought, in case you were wondering.

(Before you read on, you should know that I’m not trying to start a creation-vs-evolution debate at all.  I’m just amazed at how it all works.  For the record, I don’t know how it all started, I don’t think anyone really does… and I’m okay with that.  So please don’t respond with long-winded fact ridden paragraphs from either side of the table… let’s just marvel at how amazing life is.)

2.  How can evolutionary biology explain the motherly instinct? Why do virtually all mammal and bird mothers automatically care for and protect their young while the dads could basically care less?  The motherly instinct is one of God’s most beautiful and amazing creations.  I picked up one of the kitties for about 3 seconds and Wander Cat gave me the look.  Don’t mess with a momma.

3.  How can evolutionary biology explain mammary glands? How crazy is it that mammal babies survive by eating a substance that is secreted by their mother’s bodies?   That’s both crazy and funny! I would never have planned it that way (I’m not sure how I would have planned it, but surely not that way).  Each of those kittens knew that they needed to head for chow right away… and they got that chow from sucking on their mom’s body.  Simply amazing.

4.  This was purely natural. I’ve watched my wife give birth to each of our three sons and each was a very special event.  However, my sons were born in state of the art hospitals, as Jodi was in a specialized bed, coached on by trained mid-wives, monitored by professional nurses, and married to a husband who endured …. I mean willingly attended… birthing classes.  Even now moms that choose “natural” birthing methods do so with lots of knowledge and supportive networks of midwives, dulas, and hippies.  Wander Cat didn’t need any support, or coaching, or birthing beds… she just did it.  God’s creation knows how to take care of business.

Those were the big observations.  There were other cool things too… the way the tiny paws already had claws… the perfectly formed little ears… the way the boys responded tenderly and excitedly at the new baby kitties…

It was simply an amazing day.  Isn’t life amazing!