From Glance to Gaze

Brittany Van Ryn has a heart for God that is fresh and pure. I asked her to share a Spiritual UPGRADE, and she is helping us consider something very special about the Lord.      

"Sunsets. Ocean. Mountains. Parakeets. Purple Cabbage. Bugs. Nudibranches. Galaxies. Algae. Teeth. That short but diverse list contains ten fascinating works created by the Lord God," says Brittany. "How much do you know about them?"

When I (Dawn) look around me at the handiwork of God, I cannot help but be drawn to Him. (I smile at His sense of humor when I look at the colorful "nudibranch" in the photo, above.) As Job said, "[God] does great things past finding out. Yes, wonders without number" (Job 9:10). I'm so glad my creative friend, Brittany, is encouraging us to look Godward . . . to our great Creator.

Brittany continues . . .

Some probably gross you out for various reasons; others may make you smile—or are PART of your smile. Some may have caused you to marvel at their grandiose vastness, still others at their intricate detail.

But you know what happens most of the time? More often than not, we neglect to even take a moment to look up and admire the clouds, or we apply eye shadow, forgetting that our eyes automatically blink to keep from drying out.

We complacently ignore our Creator’s handiwork, which ultimately turns our hearts away from Him.

Let me prove it to you.

One of the very first things we learn about the Lord God is that He is the Creator, and, as such, is foundational in our understanding of Who He is. God could have introduced Himself in a myriad of ways, but He wanted us to start with an understanding of His ability to make something out of nothing.

It is the lens through which we look at every other aspect of His character. It’s almost as if He wanted us to know that His love has an infinite number of ways to be shown, or that His name, Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides, means that taking care of our needs is not always in ways that we expect because He is a better Idea Generator on how to meet needs that we could ever be.

When we take the time to see Him as Creator, we learn that He does NOTHING without intention.

We have even recently learned that the appendix in our bodies, which for a long time was thought to be rather purposeless, does in fact serve a function for our digestive systems!

I feel confident in saying that one reason God designed us with the minds that He did in the world that He did is so that we might SEEK him and FIND Him. (See Acts 17:26-28.)

That God placed us in this world full of His creativity—even our very souls in a complex body—is a beautiful metaphor of the work He also wants to do in our spiritual lives. He wants to create new life in us by His Spirit that we might be in awe of His transforming renewal and that others might want to know more about this Creator who can take the nothingness of our lives and give it beauty and purpose.

If you find yourself in a place where your heart feels far from God, spend some time in His creation.

It could be anything from searching the word “bromeliads” online—especially if you don’t have them available to observe in person—to looking out the window for one moment before bedtime to gaze at the moon. Sometimes when we spend time loving God with our minds, it can trigger a deeper love for Him from our hearts.

What has looking at creation caused you to consider about the Creator?

Brittany Van Ryn is a Midwestern girl now shining her light in California, ever delighting in the endless flow of ideas from her Creator. She pursues all sorts of creative endeavors, works as a stylist, crafts her little heart out and encourages others towards the Lord as much as possible. Visit Brittany on her website, or on her blog. [Moms, Brittany’s blog can encourage your teenage daughters. Check out her three devotional themes.]