filling in the cracks

So we’ve been talking a lot lately about justice and restoration and what God is doing both in us and in the world.  One thing you’ve heard both Phil and I talk about are these breaks in relationship that have been caused by our rebellion.  In talking about how we are images of God, I’ve talked about how those images have now been cracked…and how God is working to repair and restore those cracks.  Phil talks about how God is working to repair and restore those relationships (with God, with each other, with creation around us) so that there is wholeness and fullness.  The Bible calls this shalom, and it’s what God’s intended dream and purpose is for creation.

The other night I started putting together an image that sort of symbolized this restoration project and the different parts of it:

I posted this because I thought it might help some of you think about these things, and more specifically, the unique way you can be apart of it.  We all have certain skills and abilities and personalities that maybe draw us more toward one thing than another.  So, thinking about all of this, what aspects do you find more interesting than others?  Which relationship do you feel compelled to partner with God to begin healing?  And once you realize that perhaps you’re drawn more to one than the others, you can begin thinking about specific things you can begin doing within that area of relationship and cracked-ness (and if you have trouble, I’m always up for talking about it and offering ideas). 

Obviously it’s not completely cut and dry and black and white: we don’t focus on one to the exclusion of the others–they all interact and intermingle with each other (how we view and treat our relationships with others may depend on our relationship with God; how we treat and interact with each other as nations and countries may influence how some are forced to interact with and utilize the creation and resources around them).  But we have to start somewhere, and hopefully this will help with that first step in thinking about what’s going on out there and how we, empowered by the Spirit that is constantly refreshing and renewing us into this new humanity of a new creation and kingdom, can help make it be even more.