Creative Creativity
God’s creativity shapes everything. I was thinking about this while driving through the mountains recently. Wow! To consider God as our Creator and the generosity that God has demonstrated through His creation overwhelms me with awe. There was a creative act that formed the beautiful mountains I traversed, and I assign that creative act to God. Taking in something so picturesque leads me to worship. God could have made everything to look like Oklahoma (no offense if that’s home), but instead He gave us oceans, mountains, plains, forests, and the pinnacle of His creation: Alabama.
God is Creator and creative in essence. You and I, made in His image, are also creative beings. One vital way we worship God is through stewarding His creativity through us. Look around you and consider your surroundings. Perhaps you’re sitting in a chair or holding a phone. Someone pulled resources together in a new, creative way to bring that product into the world for us to enjoy.
I haven’t always viewed myself as a creative person. My image of a creative person was that of a painter in a studio or a designer behind a sewing machine. I’ve since understood that creativity is a vital quality we all possess. As those created in God’s image, creativity is in our DNA. No two people create the same way, but we all create.
My father-in-law loves home renovation projects. He runs wires and builds shelves in a way that can only be described as artistic. That’s not me, but I love to create through words and stories. I know people who love to craft a homemade meal or pull people together for a party. We may think of these in a different way, but they are essentially creative acts. Every day presents the opportunity to put things out into the world by utilizing God’s good gifts. It could be an email or a note to a friend. It could be a manicured flower bed. The options are endless in displaying the creative quality of God embedded within us.
It's become a passion of mine to see people unlock their creativity. Everyone possesses creativity and has good works purposed by God within them. Creative expression is essential to a quality life. We don’t come alive sitting in front of a television or PlayStation. Instead, we entertain and numb ourselves from feeling, observing, and listening. These are all senses that channel creativity. I love telling my children that it’s o.k. to be bored. Learning how to sit with our thoughts is a necessary part of processing life, which fosters creativity. Noisy lives might numb the pain, but noisy lives also impede our creative calling. As Jesus followers, we have a calling to good works in response to God’s grace, and good works always involve an element of creativity. Even a conversation is a creative act.
You are creative, and so am I. It’s in our DNA. I went into a plumbing store yesterday for a new part, and the guy behind the counter did me one better. He took my old part apart, modified it, and put it back together. He was creative, and he blessed me through his creativity!
How will you be creative today? How about trying a new recipe or writing an encouraging note to someone? Perhaps it’s a phone call to an old friend or journaling your thoughts to God. God has made you to be a creative being. What creative calling will we bring forth into the world today?