To Have Dominion

"What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of [earthborn] man that You care for him?
    ⁵Yet You have made him but a little lower than God [or heavenly beings], and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
    ⁶You made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet:
    ⁷All sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field,
    ⁸The birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever passes along the paths of the seas."  Psalm 8:4-8 (AMP)

Whew!  Time has been an issue for me this week!  I feel (blessedly so) that the month of January has been going really slowly.  This is wonderful, I'm happy for a bit of a slowdown, but the last two days as a whole, I've just felt like I'm always looking ahead to what has to be done next.  Today is nice, I get to relax just a bit this afternoon, get some housework done, and then it's off to mid-week service at church.  I thought that maybe I should pop on here and post some thoughts, less anyone think I'm doing poorly or anything. 

The last few weeks have seen our family relishing in some time with our favorite fantasies.  We've spent time both watching and reading about the land of Narnia, spun by C.S. Lewis, and Andy and I have also spent time in Middle Earth, watching Tolkein's world brought to life on the big screen.  I particularly like both of these series' in multiple forms, because they are the ultimate example of good triumphing over evil.  Good, and light always wins, every single time.  The struggles along the way may be impossibly difficult, but in the end, the struggles are worth it.

But a few weeks ago when we watched The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, something struck me with one of the last lines of the movie, "Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia".  And then I really looked at what I was seeing.  This fantastical place, this Narnia, is place where there are no humans, and when the humans show up, every creature bows and follows the commands of the new Kings and Queens- and very matter-of-factly at that.  It made me think of when the earth was created, and God set man to have dominion over the earth, and I thought this display of Narnia was the ultimate display of that very thing.  Even to the point where one of the characters in the story passes a message on to another by asking the trees to share the message.

It made me wonder, just what all would really be possible if we really got a revelation of what the Bible tells us about being the sons and daughters of God.  I think that line in the movie could very easily be changed to "once a son or daughter of God, always a son or daughter of God".  Oh! Now doesn't that just sound absolutely wonderful?


"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name "  John 1:12 (NKJV)

Then when we were watching The Two Towers, and the trees started marching to war, I just felt such a stirring in my spirit- what if such a thing were truly possible?  I struggle sometimes just to get a seed or two to sprout, I can't imagine how much faith it would take to make a tree move!

Yet, when I read the books by these two authors- or watch the dramatizations of their works, I can't help but wonder how much these men understood of their Bibles.  The Psalm I posted above says that God has put all things under our feet- all things. As the sons and daughters of God, it should not be fantasy that we can affect the things around us.  It shouldn't be impossible that I go and spend time out in the gardens, blessing the plants, commanding them to grow, and they do.  It shouldn't be an impossibility to go out to the backyard and command the rabbits to leave my plants alone.  Yet, when I fail in maneuvering a silly little rabbit, I feel discouraged, and wonder how on earth I'm to do something grand like calm a storm.


Calm a storm?  Why not?  Jesus did it!  And yet, I cannot get some simple basil seeds to sprout.  Jesus said just a few words to a fig tree and the whole thing shriveled up and died.  Surely I can get one measly little pepper seed to sprout and send out it's shoot. 

I love reading fantasy books, because I like to think that with God, all things are possible, and I'm always wondering if God whispers to fantasy authors and gives them different glimpses of what heaven might be like.  And then I open up my Bible and read about all the things that Jesus did while He was here on earth, and I know He was connected with Heaven the whole time.  What does Heaven have for us here on earth?   That's such a fun thing for me to think on, because while there are many fantasy worlds I'd love to explore in person, I know that Heaven is going to be beyond all expectations, and truly be paradise for all eternity.

What IS man, that God cares for us so?  He cared for us so much that He gave us this amazing instruction manual for life- a living, breathing instruction manual that always has something new to tell us.  If I experience for myself none of the other miracles found within the pages of my Bible, at least I get to experience the miracle of The Word itself.  That every time I open it, I find something new.  In that way, it is so unlike the fantasy novels that I read over and over.  I always know what those are going to say, their words never change.  But every time I open up my Bible, I find new secrets hiding within.  New thoughts, new ideas, and new desires to want to be more like Jesus each and every day.

And Jesus had dominion over the earth around him.  Someday, I'm going to understand how.  And I'm going to find those answers in one place only- in my Bible.