The Written Word: Out of Eden

“We all long for Eden, and we are constantly glimpsing it: our whole nature at its best and least corrupted, its gentlest and most human, is still soaked with the sense of exile.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien

I have always been fascinated with the biblical story of the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis. It has shaped my curiosity, my faith, my art, and the way I see my place on the earth. I love the idea of the Creator creating order out of chaos. He takes delight in forming all the parts and pieces of each created thing whether on the earth or in the rest of the cosmos. What is also exciting is that we as image bearers of God are in partnership with the Creator God, a partnership in which God provides the resources and humanity provides the cultivating. Every part of our ordinary, mundane lives are infused with the presence of God in which we are called to work to sustain everyone’s and everything’s capacity to worship.

Unfortunately, our every day isn’t as we long for. We are still aware of the underlying sense of loss and separation from that ultimate Garden of Eden. My hopes and prayers are that occasionally we can experience moments of joy and connection with beauty, peace, and harmony, however fleeting.

When I create art, I feel the connection with the Creator. I take delight in pulling together pieces from the resources around me, bringing order out of chaos, repairing what was broken, and giving a sense of purpose to something that no longer has it. Each one of us has this capacity; to cultivate the things we share space with, and to bring out their rich potential as a display of the Creator’s wisdom and generosity. This is who I am. This is why I create.