Making A Place
I find it so loving of God to have thought to create a place for us.
God, perfect in existence, completely satisfied and lacking nothing, chose to make a place for us.
Not only that, but we were also invited into partnership with God. God made a place and gave it to us to steward with Him. There was still much to be created. Inventions to dream up. Discoveries to be made. Or even more simply, animals to be named. God could have done it all. And yet, God has allowed us to share in the making as He continually invites human begins to co-create alongside Him.
This is wild, yall.
Adam named the creatures of the Earth, the birds of the sky and every wild animal. Gardeners, farmers and hobbyists cultivate the land. Teachers get to endow knowledge. Architects build. Artisans sculpt and weave and paint. Rappers and singers craft lyrics matched with melodies that move us internally in ways that we struggle to describe. Children imagine with reckless abandonment and pure delight, creating stories and worlds and inviting all who will listen into them. We are co-creators, invited by God to join Him in all sorts of making throughout the Earth. This is glorious - and we each have a part to play.
What a thought to marvel. It’s enough to make one weep. We are not worthy of such an opportunity and yet, we are all Makers. Whether we choose to accept that role or not.
It is from this place of great generosity that I also want to create. For some it is pottery, for others it is writing, and still for others it is organizing a spreadsheet with a mastery that few can achieve (bless you)- but for me, it is making places for people to be. Be with God. Be with Self. Be with Others.
I am an interior design enthusiast who loves considering how we can use principles such as scale, proportion, color and sight lines to help create an engaging environment that is beautiful, yes, AND also a place for connection.
When I merely created spaces with design principles in mind, I felt something lacking. For me it is not just about making a place, but rather making a place for hospitality. And I want to teach and encourage the kindred out there who value hospitality because they know the Most Hospitable One.
This has been years in the making. I share more of that story in other reflections. But as my life has moved in and out of different seasons - especially impacted by multiple cross country moves and carrying, birthing and nursing my kids, I found myself recently praying and asking God for direction. Over and over again the words that came back were simply:
Make a Place.
When we purchased our property, Philo, that was the vision. Make a Place. A place for people to come and be. A place for sabbath rest, especially for those who whose life circumstances limit their ability to even seek rest as poverty, financial instability, limited access to transportation, etc, hinder them. “Make a Place” - that was the answer and the direction.
In the book of John, we’re told that we love because He first loved us. God’s hospitality toward us is great evidence of His love toward us, and so I also believe that our ability to show hospitality comes only by the grace of the One who showed it to us first. Welcome. Generosity. Service. Love. These are (some of) the characteristics of hospitality and they come from the One who is Welcome, Generosity, Service and Love. A place can be beautiful, it can even be meaningful; but, what gives it life is the presence of God within it and the people whom He has made.
So join me in being a Maker. May we make places for connection, hospitality and of beauty that points to Hope and restoration, in our homes and throughout our lives.
Onward my friends, in Hope.
Until next time,
Alexa
