Admiring God’s Creativity

July 24, 2024

My wife and I enjoyed an evening with the animals back in 2017 at a Chinese Lantern Festival held at the Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden in Belmont, NC. We had a great evening strolling through the gardens taking in the magnificent display of lights.

The Chinese Lantern Festival — “The Wild” – showcased 800 handmade life-size, and some larger than life, illuminated bears, lions, elephants and more from the world’s seven continents. The lanterns were made by masters of the craft in Zigong, China’s center of lantern heritage.[1]

So why would I post a photograph of an animal light sculpture created by humans instead of posting a photograph of the actual animal?

Admiring God’s Creativity #hope #joy #writingcommunity Share on X

Originally lanterns were simply for lighting. Over time, however, Chinese lanterns evolved into art forms. Today, Chinese Lanterns are a cherished part of festivals and celebrations. As Buddhism flourished in China, lanterns were lit at the Imperial Palace and temples in a show of respect for Buddha.[2]

However, there were no religious overtones to the lantern festival that I could tell. I believe the intent was simply to show Chinese art through the magnificence of the animal world in a beautiful and creative way. In addition, what struck me was the effort it took to create these exquisite works of art. It was clear to me that many people had spent many hours producing these delicate pieces of art.

It doesn’t surprise me that we humans are amazed at God’s creations. We often want to share our creativity by emphasizing God’s creativity. That’s what this display did for me. I love the way David put it in one of his psalms.

How many are your works, Lord!
    In wisdom you made them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.
There is the sea, vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small. (Psalm 104:24-25, NIV)

God is amazing. He created a wonderful world full of astounding living creatures. While we should not worship His creation, seeing it should lead us to a deeper relationship with the Creator.

May we experience this as we admire God’s creativity.

---

[1] https://www.heraldonline.com/news/local/article173522791.html#storylink=cpy

[2] https://www.chineselanternfestival.com/chineselanterns