Second Day of Christmas: Wonder of Workmanship

I spent practically all day tied to the living room table, surrounded by scraps of material. Hoping that it would come together to make a dress. Sewing is one of my favorite past-times, along with a hybrid of others. And as I pinned two pieces of the rough purple material together. Pin. By. Pin. Suddenly I realized how commonplace, and yet not so, the act of creation - workmanship - is.

God has given us this precious gift, this ability to create. To take a slab of wood, length of satin, piece of paper, and then form it into a thing of beauty.

We're physical beings, and we all experience a unique pleasure when we make something - anything! - with our hands. It could be the small origami box, the wedding dress, or the hand-written note. Such a small gift, it seems at first, but it broadens out into a mind-boggling gem from Him. Imagine life without creating anything... without the smile of your little brother or sister as you make them a paper airplane... without the awe of looking at the pyramids or the Parthenon. Humans were created to create. As obvious as it sounds, it just another one of those daily postulates of life that we take for granted so often.

Take a moment, the next time you write a story or take a picture, take a moment to remember that it is a gift, a wonder. The wonder of workmanship.