God Made You Creative

and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts (Shemot / Exodus 31:3)

One of the wonders of human existence is our ability to create. Maybe you don't think of yourself as creative, but creativity comes in many different forms. Not everyone is an artist, poet, or writer, but everyone is creative in one way or another. The way you speak, your work, your imagination are all creative expressions to some degree. I am surprised at how many people say they are not artists, yet love to fix things, bake or rearrange their furniture. All these activities are creative in nature.

Actually we use the word "creative" loosely. In reality only God can create in that to create means to make something from nothing. That's something we cannot do. All we can do is rearrange things that already are in existence. Having said that, our kind of creating is still a sort of creation in that the final products we produce didn't really exist prior to our making them. A cake is something far more than the combination of the individual ingredients. Our ability to put those ingredients together in the precise proportions and choosing the right heat for the appropriate length of time is what makes the cake what it is.

Semantics aside, our involvement in the creative process is one of the signs of our being made (or created) in the image of God. When we arrange and rearrange the elements of God's creation, we participate in a process that he initiated and fulfill our God-given mandate to subdue the earth. Not all forms of creativity are in keeping with that mandate however, due to our sinful nature which, like all aspects of our lives, has been tainted.

For some the call to create is stronger than for others. These people have a very deep yearning to make some sort of difference in the world around them. They want to make a statement or express their feelings. They want to add beauty to their lives or to the lives of others. Understanding that these abilities find their origins in God would be quite helpful to them.

These abilities aren't possessions that we own, but rather gifts on loan. If we accept that God is the true owner of them, then there is a better chance that we will handle them in a way that pleases him. Realizing that our creative yearnings come from outside of ourselves helps us to control them, rather than they controlling us. These creative gifts are not for us to use any way we wish. Rather we are to use them as God leads.

This is also good news for those who are frustrated with their creative skills, whether you have some and struggle in how to express them, or you wish you were far more creative than you are. In either case, since creativity didn't originate with us, we can go to the one in whom it does. God is one who can (and I believe will) help you. He can even give you abilities that you have only dreamed of until now.