I Made It Because I Love You

"Mommy, I made something for you!" said my five-year-old son as we drove home after I picked him up from school.  "It's in my backpack."  "Hmm," I said.  "Is it an elephant?"  "No!" he laughed.  The guessing game continued on the short drive home but he wouldn't tell me anything.  "It's a surprise," he informed me.

We arrived home, and as I walked around to the other side of the car to unbuckle his little brother, he tried whispering to him what it was so that I couldn't hear.  After we went inside and got settled, he brought me his creation.  He handed me a purple envelope, closed with a sticker of a cat with flowers (I love cats) and he'd written an X next to it.  "The X is for a kiss," he explained.

I opened the envelope and pulled out a folded yellow piece of paper.  I unfolded a drawing of a tent with flower petals on it, a roof, a ball, and a flower.  I thanked him and told him it was great.  "I made it because I love you," he told me.  My heart melted and we enjoyed a nice long hug (this was an especially touching moment because lately, he's been asserting his independence more in the form of defiance and tantrums.  It's not a pretty sight).

It made me think, though, that with everything that we create every day, whether it is music, art, writing, cooking, etc., do we keep God in mind when we do it?  How often do we write a blog post, paint a picture, compose a piece of music, cook a meal, and say "I made it because I love you"?  We might have some sense or a deep knowledge of what God calls us to do, but even though we know that, do we remember that we respond to that call in love for Him?  Too often, I think we forget.  I know I do, which is ironic, considering I mostly blog about issues surrounding faith.

What would it look like to deliberately create with our love for God in mind?  Would it change how we see even the most mundane tasks?

What can you make this week and give to God, saying, "I made this because I love you"?