Growing up I don’t remember being encouraged to appreciate art and I certainly wouldn’t have called myself “creative.” Sure I should learn art for the sake of history but I didn’t get that art has value simply because of the creative process behind it.
The work of your hands should earn a living, be a profession that goes somewhere, be an arrow aimed at financial security. It never occurred to me to consider a more creative route.
Imagine my surprise then when, as a full-blown adult, I started catching glimpses of the creator in me: in the garden I planted, the living room I pulled together, the words I started writing.
It brings tears to my eyes really. My heavenly father was unwilling for me to plug on unaware of the artist He tucked inside me.
Before you close the tab or move on to a post that “applies” to you, consider this: you’re an artist too. There’s an art to the way you listen to the friend, care for your dying father, deliver good news, prepare the meal.
I’m not saying all the art we make is good; some is downright bad. But bad results don’t negate the deep-seated truth that we all were made to create.
If you’re skeptical, step outside. See how the sun peeks through the clouds? The bloom rises to meet you? The flutter of wings lands the bird softly on the branch? You were fashioned in the likeness of The One who made all that; purposed to bear His image. Not as in, “I’ve gotta make something so I can be like God,” but because He knew you would enjoy a creative process of your own.
Over a period of years the Lord’s been whispering–separately and in different moments–You were made to create and You were made to live free. It occurs to me the two aren’t unrelated because there is an art to living.
What will the yield of your hands be today? Is it icing the cake or closing the deal? Making the home or putting the ducks in a row? Don’t discount your work. Don’t say “I’m no artist” and deny your divine potential. You were made to create. Now go find what makes you feel free.
If this topic interests you, you may enjoy a book I’m currently reading: Emily P. Freeman’s, A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live.
But that's enough about me…what about you?
What do you already create? What do you dream of creating?
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