Your personality and joy reflects part of the personality of God in the way you perceive and interact with the world around you. The degree to which you express this portion of your personality without inhibition (apart from the forms of addiction) is the degree to which you declare the glory of God.
The Incarnate God Himself, Jesus, displayed lots of interests and things He liked to do for fun, work, purpose, and experience. Think about it. He was a carpenter; a wood worker of sorts. I have a friend named Scott who does interior/exterior remodeling. I helped him build an interior, half-sized wall used as a partition in a restaurant bar and grill. We loaded an amazing array of detailed and meticulously purchased sets of materials into a U Haul we brought to the restaurant. I watched him as he measured out all the lengths and we used nuts and bolts and nail gun this and nail gun that. We even got to shoot bolts into the cement with a gun that used real gun powder. When I watched Scott at times doing his work, I could see he was in a mental zone. He was using his body, expertise, and knowledge of tools to make things work together to create a masterpiece. The partition-wall was intricate with a ledge for drinks and different types of cool looking things all over it. Watching him work, I got to see inside of Scott something that literally came from God. It was his heart’s desire to use his mind and body in the way God had created Him. In a certain way, it was like I got to see God at work. I look back and think about how Jesus was probably in the same zone with his mind and body when He was doing His wood work and carpentry back in Galilee.
On my part, I could care less about wood working, tools, gadgets, and building stuff. I love to watch people like Scott do their stuff, because I see God inside of them, but that isn’t what makes me tick. I’m living in the world of ideas all the time. I hear people tell me stories about their lives and I’m thinking about their lives as part of a grand story being told. I’m thinking about what words I can use to affirm them, so they can know who they really are. I’m thinking about the next blog entry I can write to express what I’ve seen in them. In addition to my world of stories, I also like to teach because it is another avenue to express my creativity in the activities I put together for my ESL students. A simple lecture isn’t enough. I have to help them get into contact with one another relationally, talking to each other in English and accomplishing some sort of task. Whether I’m teaching or storytelling, the intertwining thread is always the beauty I see in relationships and their interconnections. Jesus, of course, also had this same desire. He gathered a band of disciples, taught them lots of things, put them into relationships with one another, and sent them out to connect in even more relationships outside of their group. This all became part of a grand story that has been told for centuries.
You on the other hand, might not identify with either me or my friend Scott. You might get in the zone when you’re doing an act of service, setting appointments, or organizing things. Maybe you feel alive when you’re swimming, cycling, running, rock climbing, or hiking. Running a business, supporting visionaries, hanging out with friends, painting, or decorating/interior design might resonate with you. Whatever it is that you love to do (apart from addictions), make sure you do it often, do it well, and do it without reservation.
Do it because when we see you doing your thing, we get to see a piece of you that God made inside of you. Moreover, we get to see God inside of you. We get to connect with Him in this way. Do you see that it isn’t just for you?
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