This morning, Tricia and I had the privilege of visiting The Creation Museum just outside of Cincinnati, OH. We’d been once before, but really desired a return trip with more time set aside to read and experience all that the museum offers.
And we were not disappointed.
The collection of facts and theology, from a creationist point-of-view, is breathtaking. It is stunning and overwhelming all at the same time. Almost impossible to completely take it, the sheer volume of information is enough, if given the proper attention, to truly move you from a position of fact-seeking to a posture of worship.
Let me explain.
Only 30 minutes into our little journey, we found ourselves in a room that, on our last visit, we moved through entirely too quickly. This time, however, we made the decision to be more methodical and purposed in taking in all the small details and videos that the museum offers. And in this particular room, there is a collection of 15 very short videos that range from the complexity of the eye to the complexity of the universe. Each video is well-made and incredibly interesting, but sitting through all 15 seemed to be a bit of a chore. After the first four or five had elapsed, I was almost ready to move on. But I also considered the mindset we sought to stick to; methodical and purposed. So, we stuck it out.
And my heart moved from a basic fact-gaining posture to a softened worship attitude over the next 20 minutes.
Before I knew it, I was overtaken with a real and palpable ache in my heart. Not for myself or my relationship with our Father, but for those who don’t know about Him. As I absorbed all the minute details about the vastness of His creation, from eyes to stars and DNA to erosion, I was moved inexplicably to sorrow for those who have no idea what they are missing when they choose to live without Him. Those who, because of basic ignorance (ignorance as in “without knowledge”) or run-ins with crass and bullying “Christians,” reject the basic idea of God and any hope of a relationship with Him.
To me, it’s as if there are people who have never heard music in any form. Never been lulled by a beautiful melody or pushed to the verge of tears by an unexpected crescendo. Never felt the emotions. Never moved by the power of a symphony. Never been a part of a sing-along. In my book, that would be a total and utter tragedy. Music, by definition, is powerful and moving. It is a beautiful wonder. It is part of every society in one way or another. It is a defining part of each culture just as much as food or religion. It is something we can’t imagine living without.
Yet, what if there were folks who only heard dissonant, harsh sounds from the instruments that are defined by the gorgeous sounds they were created for? What if that’s all they’d ever known of “music?” What if no one ever introduced them to the wonder that is real music? That would be a sad thing, indeed.
That would be tragic.
I think that’s what I felt like today. There is so much about God that is wonderful, beautiful, fulfilling, inspiring, creative, incredible, moving, powerful, and thousands upon thousands of other adjectives that only attempt to describe our great God. There is so much relief knowing that He has it all in control. There’s so much bewilderment and wonder at the fact that He commanded, by a word, the creation of the universe. He is so vast and marvelous, I can’t understand it all. But His creation is paled by the enormity of His love for us. It’s real and it’s huge.
Why wouldn’t you want a part of that? Why wouldn’t you want to be so closely embraced by a God like this? How could you not stand in complete, dumbfounded awe at the mind-numbing complexity of all He has created?
I honestly don’t know. But I know that those who don’t see God as I do aren’t going to be drawn to Him because I argue them into it. I know they won’t believe because I really want to fulfill some personal need to “bring them to Jesus.” No. That won’t do.
What I desire is to somehow find ways to extend God to those I come into contact with as if they were someone who’s never encountered the beauty of music and I have an MP3 player packed with great tunes and a Bose speaker system. I want to feel this pain in my heart that beckons me to share this profound greatness I’ve experienced and continue to experience. I want to approach those who don’t know God with the softness in my heart that I believe God has all the time.
He’s the best thing I’ve ever encountered. If you don’t know Him that way, I don’t look down on you…my heart hurts for you because you have no idea what you are missing in Him. If you do know Him, have you had this happen to you? Have you felt this yearning for others to really know Him simply because you feel sorry for them having missed out? It’s so very different than feeling compelled to share Jesus simply out of obedience. I hope it’s my heart being broken and reshaped by a tender and caring God. I hope it’s me growing to be a bit more like Him. I hope it causes me to see others a bit more like He does.
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