Drawing Creation

It was a Christmas gift from us to two of our granddaughters.
It was something my daughter-in-love suggested when I asked her for ideas.
It would be a gift for both of the girls.
Their baby sister is too young right now, but will enjoy it when she gets older.

It is something called, YOTO.
YOTO is a small cube in which cards are inserted.
The cards play audiobooks and music.
Two cards were purchased as well.

My daughter-in-love asked for two Bible story cards.
The first card was the book of Genesis, told in a way a child grasps, yet true to Scripture.
The second card was the book of Romans, filled with Gospel truth.
Genesis was played first.

Forty five minutes after the card was inserted, it was still telling the story of beginnings.
I listened to the fall of man.
I listened to God’s plan of redemption.
I heard the story of Noah, Abraham, Jacob and the twelve tribes of Israel.

What I enjoyed the most, as I listened, was the story of Creation.
My six-year-old granddaughter asked if she could have the easel as she listened.
I got the table top easel and set it up on the floor near her.
She began to draw.

Grandma, come see, she said as I walked to her from the kitchen.
This is so beautiful, I said and meant it.
I saw the sun and moon, trees and birds, and flowers and plants.
Are you drawing what you are hearing? I asked her.

Yes! I’m drawing creation, she said in no uncertain terms.
No small feat; yet she was doing an amazing job.
There is was, on the easel, as she heard it.
There it was as God tells us in His Word.

I made sure her mommy and daddy saw it.
We all looked at each other over her head.
We were impressed.
We were grateful.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. (Genesis 1: 1-5)

As the narrator told the story of Genesis, chapter by chapter, she listened.
As the narrator told the story of Creation, my granddaughter drew what she heard.
It was so wonderful.
The truth was being planted deep within her.

God created everything ex nihilo, from nothing.
We, who are made in His image, have creativity but we never create from nothing.
We always need something with which to create: pencils, crayons, paint, wood, clay.
Only God can create something out of nothing.

Years ago, I taught third and fourth grade Sunday school.
There was a boy who was always drawing when I was teaching.
He was quite good.
He knew that I saw him drawing and he thought he was going to get into trouble.

You are quite an artist, I remarked.
He smiled ear to ear.
He thought I was going to tell him to stop.
If you can draw what I am teaching, you may draw during Sunday school, I suggested.

He was so excited.
I remember one particular lesson.

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:3-5)

I remember that this boy drew what he called, Log Eye.
It was a personified log with eyes, hands, feet, and its own personality.
He captured the lesson in his drawing.
I saw his father after our class and told him that his son was a talented artist.

This boy used Scripture as the source of his art.
He could not draw from nothing, rather he used tools, at his disposal, to portray God’s truth.
It was much like my granddaughter.
How wonderful to have that kind of inspiration.

We are made in God’s image, so we create.
We write, we paint, we draw, we compose, but we have tools to help us.
God needs nothing but He is our inspiration.
What we make is God breathed.

How truly blessed we are.

 

 

2 responses to “Drawing Creation”

1. Beautiful story!

   Reply

   • Thank you, Susan. It was so wonderful to watch. Drawing Creation…drawing Truth.
     Gina

     Reply