Co-Create with God?
There are times when I am paralyzed in sadness and fear, passively pouring my troubles into prayer, yet none of it calms my anxious heart. Other times, I actively and busily try to micromanage solutions, and still, none of it calms my anxious heart. My most peaceful and fruitful times are when I balance my prayer and action with God. My prayer during these times centers on listening to what is going on inside of me, listening to what is going on inside of others, and then listening for the way God is calling me to respond. Prayer becomes a relationship centered on listening for the deeper issues. Discovering solutions becomes an act of co-creating with God.
Partnering with God
When I say “co-creating,” I am not placing myself on the same level as God. First and foremost, I am surrendering to God as Creator. I am participating in my relationship with God and owning my role here on earth.
The invitation to co-create is the invitation to:
Recognize that God is within you. Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16).
Acknowledge your God-given gifts and the call to use them. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7).
Take ownership of your call to be a steward of all God’s creation. For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building (1 Corinthians 3:9).
Co-creating recognizes your free will and desire to love and serve God and your neighbor. I write about this inter-dependent relationship using a quote from St. Augustine in my Retreat, Reflect, Renew book,
Our vision is limited: we can only see from the perspective of a human being here on earth for one brief moment in time. God has the better view. St. Augustine illustrated this point when he wrote, “Will is to grace as the horse is to the rider.” Picture a horse as your will, wandering through life, based on whatever immediate gratification it can find. Now picture the rider as God’s grace steering the horse back onto his path. Both need one another. The horse needs to listen to its rider, so it doesn’t get lost while the rider needs the horse in order to go as fast or as far as possible.
Prayer and Action
There are people who say, “Just pray.” And people who counter with, “We need to do more than pray. We need action!” When you collaborate with God, you reap the benefits of both. Whether you are resolving an argument, healing, forgiving, donating, volunteering, starting a new program, visioning a new way to help others, taking care of the earth and all its creation, you are birthing new life into the world. This is what it means to co-create with God.
The amount of violence, injustice, and brokenness in the world is devastating and heart-breaking. It is easy to let feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness take over. Who am I to make a difference? No one is going to change. I pray, and nothing happens! Yet when you take ownership of your partnership with God, new ideas, attitudes, and ways of being take root. Love is cultivated. Inspiration grows. Healing relationships feels possible.
Quotes on Co-Creating
If you are Catholic, you may be interested to reflect on the Church’s stand on collaborating with God.
To human beings God even gives the power of freely sharing in his providence by entrusting them with the responsibility of “subduing” the earth and having dominion over it. God thus enables men to be intelligent and free causes in order to complete the work of creation, to perfect its harmony for their own good and that of their neighbors. Though often unconscious collaborators with God’s will, they can also enter deliberately into the divine plan by their actions, their prayers, and their sufferings. They then fully become “God’s fellow workers” and co-workers for his kingdom (Catechism of the Catholic Church, (paragraph 307).
In Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si, he writes,
In the Book of Genesis, we are called to till and care for the garden of the world (Gen 2:15). “’Tilling’ refers to cultivating, ploughing or working, while ‘keeping’ means caring, protecting, overseeing and preserving. This implies a relationship of mutual responsibility between human beings and nature” (LS 67). [1]
Hildegard of Bingen was a 12th Century Benedictine abbess, mystic, composer, and writer. Listen to her description of our role.
Humankind, full of all creative possibilities, is God’s work. Humankind alone is called to assist God. Humankind is called to co-create. With nature’s help, humankind can set into creation all that is necessary and life-sustaining. [2]
Joan Chittister, a Benedictine sister and author writes about our role as co-creator and environmental caretaker in her book, The Monastery of the Heart: An Invitation to a Meaningful Life.
We are co-creators with God of what creation has left unfinished. What has been left in embryo is left for us to develop. What can be developed God trusts us to bring to full potential. But not for ourselves alone. Co-creation, the human commitment to continue the work of God on earth, requires us to tend the land and conserve the waters, to till the garden and protect the animals, to use the things of the earth in ways that enhance all life now—and preserve them for later generations as well. [3]
The Creator within you wants to creatively work with you. How are you called to respond? How are you moved to become “God’s fellow worker” and bring healing solutions into your home, community, and hurting world? Blessings on your journey to this life-long question.
Share
Share your thoughts. What does co-creating with God mean to you?
In the Hands of God
Here is one example of co-creating. In this “Prayers & Practices” video I talk with my dear friend Dr. Mary del Vecchio, who created, “In the Hands of God,” a practice that guides you through prayer and working through problems by yourself or with another person. You can watch and download “In the Hands of God” worsheets here.
Share in Sacred Circle
How does this reflection resonate with you? Share with us. Every second Tuesday and fourth Saturday we share the monthly reflection on Zoom. Drop-ins are welcome and encouraged. Learn more about Sacred Circle.
[1] Pope Francis. Laudato Si. 24 May, 2015. Papal Archive. The Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html[2] Monasteries of the Heart. https://www.monasteriesoftheheart.org/monks-our-midst/hildegard-bingen-co-creation. [3] Joan Chittister, OSB, The Monastery of the Heart: An Invitation to a Meaningful Life (Collegeville: Blue Bridge, 1981).