Matt W Cook

You’d probably never be able to guess what my favorite book is. Knowing me, you might assume it would be one of the sci-fi masterpieces like Ender’s Game or Dune (both of which were great, especially the latter). Or maybe you’d think I’d go for a fantasy epic like Wheel of Time. Then again, maybe you’d think I’d be down with the modern literary fictions like Kite Runner (which, yes, blew my mind). Or maybe you’d assume I’d give the godly answer and cite a theological work or something by the puritans or CS Lewis. Those would all be good guesses, but you’ll never guess what book I name the favorite.

So I guess I’ll tell you…

Actually, I think I won’t. I’ll make you guess. First one to guess my favorite book wins a smiley face. And if you guess the second-favorite you might get a prize as well.

Now, I read this favorite book of mine about two years ago. And when I put it down I had seriously conflicting emotions. The first was a thrill at reading something so beautifully crafted. It was exhilarating to finally sink my teeth into such a juicy, thick piece of literary meat. But it was also depressing. You see, at that time I was halfway through a pretty hefty writing project and I was just feeling like it was coming together. But when I read this book I realized that, next to it, my work was a piece of donkey dung: very common and worth almost nothing. I stopped writing for a while.

I eventually picked myself up, though. I got back on the horse. You know why? I wanted to be like the one who wrote that book. No. I wanted to be better, in my own way. I wanted to present something to the world that would showcase my worldview in a form that was oozing with skill. And I think I wanted it for Christ’s sake (and my own, too).

So I resolved. I finished my project. It’s still nothing compared to my favorite book, but it’s a step in the right direction. My next work also won’t be worthy of sitting on the same shelf as my favorite, but it’s another step. And one day, who knows? Maybe some dumb kid like me will hold something that’s flown off of my fingers and invent a good resolve with it. And maybe someone will know Jesus a bit better. Who knows?

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I have a hobby. I write things. I write poems, short stories and other fiction things that will probably never be read by many people. I don’t write because I want to be a famous author or anything. Mostly I write because I enjoy it. I write for the same reason some people play sports or games or read novels or watch movies. I get pleasure out of it.
Have you noticed that the hobbies and jobs that give the most pleasure are the ones in which you create things? I was thinking about this as I wrote this morning. I’m writing a series of short stories for Ruth as a very late birthday present. I know her so well that I’m able to create stories that really get her excited. The look on her face when she reads an episode is more than worth the time it takes to churn out the story. But her happiness, while an amazing pleasure in itself, is not the only reason I write. It’s fun. It’s fun to create a new world. It’s fun to craft characters and write them into life. It’s fun making situations where these characters have to act and think and relate to each other. Creating things is fun.
I think one of the marks of the Image of God is the desire to create. When I write a poem or a story I read it over, fix it and polish it. When I’m all done I take a step back, examine it and (hopefully) consider it good. I get pleasure from what I’ve made, even if no one else does. In the beginning God made light and after he made light he took a step back, examined it, and saw that it was good. God took pleasure out of the works of his hands. He certainly took much more pleasure in the light he made than I had in the poem I wrote because his light was perfect and because his light was completely original. We humans write and paint and sing and build what we’ve seen. Every story is a modification of a story already told. Every poem is based on something outside of us or on an experience we’ve felt. We don’t make original things, though we love trying. God, however, had nothing to inspire him while he created except himself. He came up with the idea of light before there was anything like it. God is the only truly creative creator.
So I think we are wired to create things. God loves to create and he set us above the rest of creation by putting a little mark of himself in us. When we create beautiful things for the sake of their beauty I think we show that we are more than animals. I think we show that we are fashioned in a special way by a very special God. And when what we create points to the first Creator, I think we begin to fulfill our purpose for living.