I’ve learned more than I ever thought possible about order and methodology by working in the Public Library in Golden, CO. Directly off Clear Creek, the river roars not but thirty feet or so from our back ops room window. If only the window opened, we would be able to hear the beautiful sounds of nature and also gulp the fresh Colorado air.
But instead, the back room is full of motion—books, dust, the laughter of coworkers, and method. Tons of method.
Anyone who has visited a library knows that organization is key. To go to a certain shelf, look for a certain number (non-fiction) or letter (fiction), and find the exact copy of the book you’re looking for (complete with a 12-digit code identifying the exact copy and internal barcode) requires extreme organization. And if the system says the book is in the library, but it is not on the shelf yet, we will find it for you, even if it requires sorting through bins or looking under/over/all around our sorting machine.
Yes, library life is an organized life! In getting to know the intimate details and undertakings of the Golden Library, it makes me recall how our Lord is called a God of order, not disorder. While an old second-hand bookshop can be as disorganized as desired, a library must be organized to serve the community. To be reliable. To be accountable. To supply what is needed.
A brief glimpse of our God is displayed in the library shelves I stock each workday. Match the letter, put in order. Match the number, put in order. Make sure it is the right area, the right spot… and on and on.
And don’t even get me started on different series by the same author (especially in the kids section). In this case, we must organize series alphabetically, and then—unless listed on the side with the specific book number on the label—we must continue in alphabetical order rather than story order. If the book number is listed on the label, it comes after all books are alphabetized.
It sounds ridiculous, and sometimes things do go a bit over the top. Yet to run a big library and have accountable, reliable shelves full of documented books requires a lot of order.
You know what else operates in an orderly fashion? Our Great God. Our Yahweh.
“For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.”
1 Corinthians 14:33
“But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”
1 Corinthians 14:40
These verses are from Paul to the Corinthian church, specifically about how church worship services should be conducted—in order and in peace.
By far, the best example to me of God’s orderliness is how He created the world. On day one, He created the heavens and the earth. Day two, He created sky — separation of the waters. Day three- land, seas, and plants—and so on. God had order and method in creating the world. He did things in the proper order.
Our God is both amazingly creative (more than we could ever grasp or imagine) and also amazingly orderly. Something about that brings such comfort to my heart.
I am a creative person myself—loving colors, creating, words, light, and inspiration. But having things in order does not always come naturally with a creative personality. Creativity is a gift from God, and it often comes with movement, exploration, and process. Some of the most life-giving, beautiful people I’ve known live a little outside of tidy lines—and that is not something to fix.
Ask me about my Grandma Huston.
She was one of the most creative people I’ve ever known—sewing, crocheting, singing, painting, making things. Her house was a fun, wild, messy evidence of creativity. Things did not often have their own place but rather spilled about in random disorder. Projects abandoned and then picked up again. Rooms strewn with projects from recent years and maybe even generations ago.
And I loved that about her.
My dad used to say that I reminded him of her—being creative with my kids, making up plays in the backyard, creating costumes, reading books, doing crafts, and playing pretend together. That was one of the greatest compliments I could have received from him.
So imagine such a creative, free-spirited personality paired with the order of the library. To me, that covers all the bases.
What an awesome God we have—One who covers the whole spectrum from creative to orderly and back again.
“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1 Corinthians 2:9
“Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us.”
Ephesians 3:20
That covers all the creativity, doesn’t it?
Every creative way we operate here on earth is only a small reflection of our creative God.
And alongside that creativity does not come messy halls, willy-nilly plans, or last-minute chaos. No—our God is a God of order.
Just as a librarian stocks shelves one book at a time and places each book in the exact spot it belongs, God knows the exact order, the exact timing, and the exact plans He has for our lives, for the world, and for eternity.
What an awesome God.
One of our favorite worship songs we sing at church on Saturday nights is “Such an Awesome God.” I encourage you to listen to or sing this song as you create, as you organize, and as you go about your days. https://youtu.be/L_M3lOmSM1w?si=IF5eUXW1bdpF-0Hj
Remember: our God is sovereign. He is creative. He does beyond what we can imagine. He provides the way. He is a God of order. He orders our steps.
Lately, I’ve been inviting Him into even the smallest details of my day—what to make for dinner, His ideas for our finances, how our evenings might unfold, what groups or studies to belong to, and what part of His Word to soak in.
He will meet us there if we invite Him, become still, and allow Him to be our creative, leading, orderly God. He will meet us and show us His path.
My Prayer
Lord—Aslan, Yah, Father—open our eyes to Your awesomeness and holiness. You are wonderful. You are such an awesome God. Your ways are far beyond our ways, and Your paths are right and true.
We ask for Your guidance, creativity, wisdom, and order in our lives. We love You, honor You, and thank You for the privilege of walking with You each day.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
- Natural Life — a website that feeds my creative soul, from pillow shams to car accessories https://www.naturallife.com
- Golden Library — come visit us here in Golden https://jeffcolibrary.org/locations/gn/
- Hoopla through JCPL — free ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and Hallmark+ with your Jeffco library card https://www.hoopladigital.com/
- My favorite journals from Inkwell & Brew in Estes Park — I love the lay-flat feature; my dad used to buy me a new journal every year https://www.inkwellbrew.com ,https://www.paperblanks.com/en/
- Live Encouragement Archive — some past encouragement videos I may return to someday, faithfully following where God is leading now https://www.youtube.com/@melanietalevski
You know where to find me—out shelving books at the Golden Library, a smile on my face as I am surrounded by wonderful stories. But even more importantly, walking in the footsteps Christ has for me right now in this season.
May you be comforted, led, and excited for life with our creative, holy, sovereign Lord.
My question for you: In what small or creative way do you reflect God’s creativity in your everyday life—through words, images, hands-on making, problem-solving, or beauty you bring into the world? I’d love to hear.
Until next time,
Melanie Talevski 
Hi Mel, what a wonderful meditation on two seemingly incongruous yet in fact balancing aspects of our God! I appreciate your encouragement to tap into my creative side. And I look forward to the practical helps you included at the end.
Will Rick and I get to see you at The Glen in April? With the new year my thoughts have definitely turned westward! It’s always lovely to hear from you. Thank you for faithfully speaking as the Lord prompts! Much love, Jane in NC
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