Co-Creators With God

I tried my hand at tie-dying shirts this summer, which was a first for me.  I'd always been interested in learning how, and I figured if my 14-year-old kid could do it (he's made at least one at camp every year for six years), I could as well.  

As it turns out, it's not quite as easy as the instructions on the tie-dye kit I purchased at Walmart claimed.  

Still, I ended up being pretty pleased at the outcomes, and I learned something in the process: No matter how hard I tried to make them exactly perfect, each shirt I dyed came out different than what I expected, but each one was beautiful. 

There is something about the act of creation that is both exhilarating and unpredictable.  

I have come to believe the desire to do so lives in all of us, a Divine spark that is a gift from God, who longs for us to join God in the joyful work of creating.  In fact, it's something we were made to do.  

From the very first chapter of Scripture, God is revealed as a Creator who shapes beauty from chaos. And in a breathtaking act of trust, God chooses to create humanity in His image (Genesis 1:26–27), calling us to share in the work of tending, cultivating, and stewarding the world. 

Creation was never meant to be a one-time event—it’s an ongoing project. God’s work continues, and we are invited to join in.

Diana Butler Bass puts it this way:

“Awe is the gateway to compassion. It is a deep awareness that we are creators, creators who work with the Creator, in an ongoing project of crafting a world. If we do not like the world or are afraid of it, we have had a hand in that. And if we made a mess, we can clean it up and do better. We are what we make.”

Her words cut through both denial and despair. Too often, when we look at the state of the world—its injustices, its divisions, its wounds—we either point fingers or retreat into hopelessness. But Bass reminds us: we have had a hand in shaping this world, whether by our actions, our silence, or our indifference. 

That truth can sting. And yet, it is also profoundly empowering. If our choices have contributed to the brokenness around us, then our choices—transformed by grace—can also participate in its healing.

Scripture tells the same story. The prophet Micah reminds us what God requires: “To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Paul urges us to see ourselves as God’s “co-workers” (1 Corinthians 3:9), laboring side by side with the Spirit to build something good. Even in exile, God told His people to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” (Jeremiah 29:7), to plant and to nurture life where they were.

Owning our complicity is not about drowning in guilt—it’s about reclaiming our agency. It’s about waking up to the fact that every act of love, justice, and mercy is part of God’s great work of renewal. 

We are not powerless bystanders in the drama of history. We are image-bearers and co-creators, invited into the joy of helping to weave shalom into the fabric of the world.

So today, look with awe at the world—its beauty and its pain. Let that awe stir compassion. And then, step into the work God is already doing. The Creator has placed tools in your hands. You are empowered. You are equipped. You are what you make.

Prepare to be surprised by what God can do through you as you use your gifts for creation to create a better world around you. 

Prayer:
Creator God, open my eyes to see the beauty and the brokenness around me. Give me courage to own my part in shaping this world, and grace to join You in making it whole. Fill my hands with Your work and my heart with Your love. Amen.