Resting in the Grace of Creation

The story of creation
Says God made,
The heavens and the earth,
In six days.

At least, that’s the story
I grew up with.

I love that God is an artist!

I can imagine her amazement
At the magnificent array of tools
And materials set before her.
Just as when I first set foot in a
New art or hardware supply store.
The wheels of creation automatically start to turn.

I see her dabbling and experimenting in
Light, color and the building blocks of life’s chemistry.

Immersed in the ecstasy
Of the creative process,
Each unique creature, tree, star,
A wonder and an inspiration for the next.

Time does not exist,
There is only the endless flow of expression
Until utter exhaustion takes over.

On the seventh day, God rests
In the beautiful garden of the universe
She has created.
There she dreams
Of wonders yet to come.

By Cheryl McDonald 2023©

If you would like to listen to me read this poem, please click below.

I grew up in the Lutheran Church, a much more liberal take on Christianity than most Christian churches, especially today.

The pastor who confirmed me was open to many interpretations of God, and so I came to believe that God is both masculine, feminine, and other. God is all encompassing and is certainly not an old white man sitting on a cloud in the heavens.

So God as a creative woman is not a stretch for my imagination. I created this pencil painting Resting in the Grace of Creation, many years ago and the meaning has changed over time. Sometimes this voluptuous young woman is a fairy just enjoying a nap snuggled into an enveloping tulip in a garden. Or as I have written in this poem today, sometimes I see God as an artist creating the universe who has reveled in the ecstasy until she becomes exhausted, and rests in the wonderful garden she has just created.

I guess that because the creative process is so ingrained in me after letting it run my life all these year, this is an analogy for God I can relate to.

Mostly, my creation of this piece was a peaceful meditation honoring the connection with nature and how much it brings me to a peaceful place when I am able to be immersed in it.

Today is the first day of Women’s History Month, and I offer this art as a tribute to the feminine in all of us as we dream of new creative ways to make a better world. I hope it inspires you or at the very least offers you a sense of peace in your day.

Have a Happy Day!