From the Chaplain

What is your creative gift and how do you share it with others? 

My family and I had casually been looking for a dog for the last few weeks.  Out of the blue, my Mum rang me to say she had bought us a dog (pictured above, a 10-month-old mini-Schnauzer) and that he would be on a flight from Brisbane, arriving in Perth at five minutes to midnight in two days time.  I was a bit shocked but quickly made plans to pick him up. 

‘Alan’ is a very cute dog and looks at you in the eyes with his head on one side.  

This reminds me of a book that my daughter had when she was very young.  It reminds us how cute the face of a dog is and how God made the dog just for us, to see us smile.   

Proverbs 15:30 'A cheerful look brings joy to the heart.’   

Alan gives a cheerful look that definitely gives joy to the heart of anyone that sees him. 

It still amazes me looking at all the animals of the world that God has created and how he has thought about each one of them.  He created each animal so uniquely.   

Romans 1:20 says, ‘Ever since God created the world, his invisible qualities, both his eternal power and his divine nature, have been clearly seen; they are perceived in the things that God has made. So those people have no excuse at all!’ 

This means that just looking at God’s creation gives us an idea of his power and connection to nature, and how the world began with a Creator.  It is impossible to miss.  Genesis also tells us that he created us in his own image which is unique to humans, symbolising a deep connection between God and us.  This does not imply that God is in human form or that we look like Him, rather that we have the same qualities of God.  We are able to love, create, rationalise and have free-will like him.   

So being made in God’s image means that we can be creative like him, when he created the dog.  We can build, draw, bake, write, paint, plant and sew.  Do not ever think that you are not creative because God has made us all this way, in some form or other.  What is your creative gift and how do you share it with others? 

Mrs Naomi Cooper | Chaplain