Our “iLife”: the face we put on for all the Internet to see. The personalities we create that allow us to interact with others across the web. The “me” I am when no one can actually see me. I’m talking about our Facebook profiles, where we list our interests, favorite bands, quotes we hope describe us more completely than our own words might. Or the witty Twitter comments we leave, talking about our days (in 140 characters or less), and only the parts of the day worth sharing (not the mundane, not the inappropriate, just the censored parts). What if these “iLives” we put together were thought of as our attempts to be creative, to be creating, to be writing our own stories in our own way, not the way they actually end up being, but in ways we dream they were.

Hold that thought and let’s jump to the Creation story. 7 days, right? I’m not really interested in the Creation story’s scientific validity here, but rather it’s role in illustrating God’s character, who God is. I see the account as a magnificent telling of God’s expansive creating project, which scientifically probably took much longer. By illustrating it as a 7-day-deal, we get to not only marvel at all that is done in such a short period of time, but beyond that gain a view of this God who is bigger, grander, more powerful than anything science or reason or daily life allows us to conjure up. God is the impossible. 7 days of marvelous creation = One creative, grand God.

With this view, we know to expect much from him, his interactions with people, his promises. His creative nature lends itself to big expectations and big follow through. Right?

Now, we move back to our “iLife”. What if, by putting up all these cool pictures of the party I hosted, or writing eloquent words on my little ‘ol blog, I’m attempting to mirror that creative nature. In a sense, I am.

Here’s the kicker: Where in Creation, the literary telling of God’s grand, creative work (7 days = marvelous) helps illustrate God’s nature more completely, picking up with imagery where words fail, do our pitiful attempts at creating ourselves serve as a form of blasphemy? Do we mock God’s Creation story by trying to recreate versions of ourselves that are “greater” than who we truly are? By making claims (however grand or simple, however close or far from the truth) about ourselves that stretch reality into a more comfortable personal perspective (one where we feel better about our shortcomings, because they are more hidden) are we attempting to overwrite ourselves?

While I’ve tried pretty hard to be genuine with who I am in my “iLife”, as I work with students, befriend ministry peers across the country, I have to continually consider who I am away from my computer and who I am when I sit here, in front of the screen. My hope is that I do as little “overwriting” as possible.

How does your “iLife” look in comparison with reality? What do you think about this idea, comparing Creation with our own creative revisions?