We’ve all had one. That moment when we finally “get it.” When something you’ve been stewing on, a wall you’ve been up against, or a solution or insight you’ve desperately sought finally breaks. A pastor of mine years ago called it by its biblical name: revelation - “quickened by the Holy Spirit”. In modern parlance, the delightfully descriptive “Aha”.
I’ve always been intrigued and delighted, while equally frustrated by the creative process. It's a mystery. How are things unseen revealed? The human brain is a deep reservoir of life experience, an organic and life-giving engine of constant change, a perplexing soup of fresh learning and old memories responding to present situations.
And frequently, our brain runs on autopilot. In crisis, we get left behind and “stuck”, unable to understand what’s happening, or even why. I think it has less to do with smarts, and more with the emotional shrapnel of the battlefield - negativity flooding our senses and the smokescreen lies of our self-talk.
Be it simple, everyday, creative endeavors or answers to life’s situational and big picture questions, we yearn for a new discovery, something to match this fresh pain. Life is adventure, right?
Sometimes I picture our God as the Jedi Master, sans the Yoda ears, always teaching and training. He understands us and our situation intimately, but we don’t. With his divine and far-reaching perspective, he operates his expertly crafted lesson plan, while continually modifying it to adapt to our responses (and new mistakes). We gave him permission, after all.
And confounding us, he withholds bits and pieces of information, probably so we don’t get too discouraged and quit...until the time is just right, and when we’re content in our learned humility. Our heart is soft with trust. Our eyes are looking up, not down. He moves some final pieces on his chessboard and we start to sense a change coming. A change is coming. It’s time.
It hits us in a flash flood of understanding, relief, joy and gratitude. Ah-HA! The Big Reveal - Revelation!
Is all this just adventurous creativity on God’s part? From our end, it may just seem like garden-variety pain and frustration. But for our mysterious Creator, the same one whose galaxies are continuing to expand even after his epic initial burst, why not? Always creating. Always redeeming. He's always changing us with a great plan.
I wonder if we could adopt this fantastic creative insight from our Creator, direct it inside, then apply it toward others around us who are in process too (Aha - aren’t we all the same)? If perhaps not ever knowing the satisfaction of universal understanding, could we still know him, I mean REALLY know his character, and his ways? And could we always be generous with our hope, that he would indeed perfect us, and others, in his time? Seems like a great position to be in.
About the Author
Terry is a man in constant motion to explore new horizons. He has a thirst for new places and faces, and a deep love for the natural world - with a weakness for waterfalls and sunsets. All of this venturing out helps to both ground and inspire him, because it opens him up to people, with their vast, collective array of experiences, outlooks and responses.
He finds all of this fascinating and sees that it has encouraged the growth of something crucial in his Christian development: empathy and compassion toward his brothers and sisters on this planet.