We are two and a half months into 2013 and I have done quite a bit of thinking already this year. I feel like there’s been more contemplation and processing in these weeks than in all of last year. The fact that I haven’t been blogging hasn’t helped though; typing out my thoughts usually helps them stick. Life is moving so fast that I have a real hard time using the discoveries to positively influence my family and the Kingdom. That has to change.

I feel like one of the main themes I keep being confronted with is “how shall we then live”. The year started with me doing what I love . . . taking extended time at McDonalds and praying and planning for myself and my family. I remembered my campus staff days and how all my planning was done in light of our ministry values and so I took some time to look at myself and try to be honest about the values my life reflects and what I truly hold dear.

I’m not going to cover all of the values here, but I did decide that CREATING is one of my values. It’s not just a fun thing I like but it is something bigger. It’s a way I reflect God’s image. It’s a way to worship. It’s more than just glue and paste; it doesn’t have to be crafty. I purposefully didn’t say that being crafty is a value.

We have been redoing our living room since Christmas. Honey painted the walls and we got a couple new pieces of furniture as gifts. It has been such a joy to go on Craigslist and find pieces of furniture that need some love and cost nearly nothing and then work with Honey to create beautiful pieces. It has been so fun to create art for the walls and to shop for lamps. (I am going to make the lamp. I am so very excited. The ones I found online that I just love were all $250 and that is not a Becky-friendly lamp. So, I searched ebay and a couple online sites and found all the pieces. I just need a pretty day so I can paint them and then, tee hee, I am going to build a lamp!) It has been fun to remember as we work that what we are doing reflects our God and brings Him glory.

It’s not just me, I see it in my friends too. My friend, Shelley, has a gazillion high school kids into her home each week for Young Life meetings. She creates a safe place with a loving atmosphere – she reflects His image.

My friend Coralie can write like nobody’s business. She puts words together to create beauty and in doing so refects His image.

My friend, Julia, creates in the kitchen.   I have never known anyone like her.  She never makes the same dish twice because she adds dashes of spices and leaves out things Dave (her guy) didn’t like.  She creates yummy masterpieces and, in doing so, reflects her own creator.

So, I’m committed to creating.  Yesterday I helped create order in KB’s closet and today I am going to finish a piece of furniture for the living room.  How do YOU reflect His image?