created to create

In video gaming there’s something called an Easter egg; it’s a little surprise tucked away somewhere in the game, undocumented, put there by the designers to give players a bit of unexpected delight when they are stumbled upon.

I often think the Bible is that way. For every epic story line and beloved character, there are dozens of short passages that don’t often get read in church, but add so much.

Genesis includes the story of a man named Lamech, a descendent of the fratricidal first murderer, Cain. I read about him in Genesis 4. Lamech himself may not be so obscure, but this part of his story might be: “Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes. Zillah also had a son, Tubal- Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron.” (v19-22).

Those verses, to me, are an Easter egg. Tucked between the familiar stories of Cain and Abel on the one hand and Noah and the ark on the other, they tell of the start of civilization. One son who became a farmer and earthkeeper, the forefather of all human activity related to the land. Another, a musician, started the arts, those things that we think of as particularly creative and beautiful. And the third son wrought tools and made things, the first engineer and manufacturer.

Do I read too much into this, or can I find here God’s leadership and blessing on all our work? Am I right in thinking that by making the earth full of animals and minerals, by laying down the laws of physics and creating light (which produces color) and sound, by putting into us the curiosity and creativity and industry that we have, that through us God continues to this day to create? That his original creation included the latent potential for every song and building and gadget and food that has ever made us happy? That rather than giving us these things ready-made, he gave us the great blessing of allowing us to discover them?

This is why, to me, a key part of being made in God’s image is that we humans create. We innovate and design and have ideas. We carry them out for the good of our fellow man. If I do this unselfishly and in service, does it make me, in a very small way, God-like? I hope so.