Thanks to Laurie for the inspiration!
Have you ever noticed that it’s energizing and at the same time relaxing, fun, and fulfilling to create? Time seems to fly by, and you may have even missed a meal when you’re fully engaged in creating something. This applies to all creative pursuits: visual (drawing, painting, sculpture, photographic, textile arts, ceramics, woodworking, etc.), musical, performing arts (acting, dancing, choreography, set design, etc.) graphic (computer-based artwork, design, PowerPoint, Photoshop, etc.), writing (mine), and any combination of the above, the list is truly endless. I believe this is because when we’re creating we are doing the thing we were made to do.
Consider this: we were made in the image of God—The Creator! When we create, we are imitating our Father. When we create, I believe that we make our Father proud of us. That’s why it’s so rewarding to create. What was the first job given to Adam? Gardening. Adam was the first landscaping designer. Next God brought all the animals to Adam so that he could name them. God could have named the animals, but he gave that task to Adam.
When we got a poodle puppy in 1965, Daddy named him Poodle-a-Go-Go. Daddy’s pet names were all like that: funny and clever. When I was six years old, my parents let me name our cat. I looked carefully at him and named him Fuzzy. OK, not a spectacularly imaginative name, but I think I captured the essence of this long-haired tabby cat. And my parents honored my lame name, calling the cat Fuzzy all the days of his life.
You may say that you’re not very creative or that you have no talent. I say that you just haven’t found your creative niche yet. Like me with naming pets when I was six. Since we’re not God, it takes most of us some time to develop the skills and to perfect our creative talents. Experiment! Try different materials, methods, styles. You’ll find yourself creatively, but you’ve got to be patient with yourself, too. Above all, you’ve got to honor your creativity by spending time at it. You can’t expect to improve if you never spend time at it.
Guess who is incapable of creating: the devil. That’s why he twists God’s perfect creation into something perverted, because he cannot create. He (along with the rest of the angels) was not made in God’s image, only we were. And because he’s jealous of our ability to create, the devil tries to fool us into thinking that creative pursuits are a waste of time, that we should spend our time working at a “real job.” The devil wants you to believe that you must work hard to get anywhere in this world. But you want to know the truth? They say do what you love and the money will come. I believe that’s true because what humans love to do is create. God honors that—especially when we use our creative abilities to honor Him.
The truth is that there is plenty of room in God’s Kingdom for creative pursuits.
So you go to town with that creative thing! Joyfully play (not work) at your creative art. Make our Father proud!
Walking By Faith in Europe 