“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” Genesis 1:1

One word in this verse captures my attention. Did you catch it? The verb. The fifth word of the Bible. Created. This word delights my senses. Indeed, when God is revealed, first and foremost, God is a Creator. Fast forward to Genesis 1:27, “So God did just that. He created humanity in His image, created them male and female.” Wow. This leads me to consider: If we are created in God’s image and the first thing God did was to create, it seems simple to link these and claim, “Yes, we are creators in the world!”

I find that children easily claim this title. Children have a natural way of believing themselves to be creators. They imagine with ease. They color outside of the lines. They delight in rainbows. And yet, somewhere along the way, this changes. Having a natural creative slant myself, people often claim in my presence, “I am not creative at all.” This disheartens me.

I hate to say it, but “creative” is often mistaken for it’s distant Pharisaical relative, “perfection”. It seems we believe we must create perfectly in order to claim ourselves “creative”.  I, myself, have a bad relationship with perfection. “Perfection” has always nagged, poked and harassed me through my life, telling me I can do it better. When I began knitting, my very first project was bumpy on the edges. I was deflated. My wise knitting instructor, Maggie, said, “Ally, you are not a machine. Knitting by hand will be bumpy at times and that is okay.” Sweet relief.

When I read Genesis 1, I am freed from my need for perfection. Over and again, God creates and says, “It is good.” God never says, “It is perfect.” God created our vast universe. This universe we marvel at in awe and wonder. And God simply says, “It is good.” Incredible!

Truly, I believe our definition is far too narrow for “creative”.  It seems our view of creatives in the world plunks merely artists into this category. People who are predominantly right brained – those who create music, writing, two and three-dimensional art, dance, or fancy food. But, I see creative as a way we give back to the world. When we use how we have been created by God – those good gifts God has bestowed on us to better the world, we create. We create a better world to live in.

• When we choose to keep our judgements to ourselves,
  we create a space of acceptance.
• When we choose to lead with integrity, we create an environment to learn.
• When we choose to listen to our children’s vantage point,
  we create a home that feels secure because their viewpoint is valued.
• When we choose to dwell on lovely, honorable and true words,
  we create a mindset of hope and goodness
• When we choose to give generously,
 we create an atmosphere of abundance
• When we choose to forgive,
 we create a relationship based on grace,
  not bitterness.
• When we choose to ask forgiveness for ourselves,
  we create a relationship recognizing our own inadequacies
  revealing our brokenness

In my estimation, creating is a natural outflow of who we are. We are all given the opportunity to create throughout our days. What happens when we wake up and say, “Yes! I am a creator. So, God, what should we create today?”

To Ponder:
“ Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Phillippians 4:8

How does it change your outlook to dwell on the true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable delicacies of each day?

 Check out this idea to create a more beautiful life.

With a Friend:
Was there a moment in your life when you stopped seeing yourself as an artist/creator?

With a Child:
Notice how easily a child claims to be a creator. Join in on the fun. Play a game with their rules. Dance with them. Draw at the same table. Help teach them about strategy by playing a game. Let them choose the music. Invite them to crack the egg.