creativity

You are made in the creative image of a wonderful Creator. He lovingly invites you to continually create with Him for His Kingdom!

Eighteen years old and on a high school mission trip in Washington State, my mind racing, trying to find peace. It had been a wonderful morning of leading VBS with a local church, but I felt out of place. Lost in the chaos and noise, a small insecure teenager, I couldn’t wrap my mind around my feelings. Why did I want to retreat? Why wasn’t my heart excited like my bubbly peers around me?

We went out to the beach for a fun afternoon. I had never been to the West Coast and was struck by the beauty of the charcoal colored jagged rock that trimmed the shore. I found a quiet place to myself, stuck my feet in the sand and began to pray. Right there, as I listened to the roar of the waves and buried my feet, I knew God was real.

Creation continues to astound me. I marvel at the changing color of leaves as our great oaks prepare for winter. I sit in awe at the sights and sounds of the outdoors. Birds chirping, branches blowing in the wind, squirrels racing up trees as bunnies bounce across the grass, under the canvas of orange and pink painting across the sky. And at the beach, I am undone! The roar of ocean waves, the sticky sand between my toes, the smells of salt water in the air all express the majesty of Jesus. From the tiniest ladybug to the largest mountain, I am continually drawn to my Creator as I observe the beauty of His handiwork.

All creation glorifies God.

Praise Him, highest heavens,
And the waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.

Psalm 148:4-5

Yes, all creation testifies to the beauty and majesty of our Maker. Every tree, mountain, star, octopus, lily, bumblebee and child magnifies The Lord. And you, yes you, show off His glory.

The Creator in You

There is a Swahili proverb that says, “The daughter of a lion is also a lion.” What does this mean for us? If our Father is the Creator, what does this make us? Creative.

Since the beginning of mankind, Jesus has invited us to create with Him. You, my friend, are made in the creative image of a wonderful Creator. He lovingly invites you to continually create with Him for His Kingdom!

In the beginning, God gave Adam three things to do, reproduce (Genesis 1:28), name the animals (Genesis 2:19) and cultivate the garden (Genesis 2:15). In every task, the Almighty God who created the universe with just a word, was letting man join Him in creating. God chose us to create with Him! He chose us to be His partners. You see, as Adam and Eve reproduced, they created life in Eve’s womb. As Adam spoke animal names, he created their identity. And, while he cultivated the garden, he created food and beauty.

You, my friend, are made in the creative image of a wonderful Creator. He lovingly invites you to continually create with Him for His Kingdom! Click To Tweet

Chosen to Create

This partnership did not stop with Adam and Eve.

Noah partnered with God to bring salvation to eight people and every kind of animal (Genesis 8).
Abraham bartered with God to rescue Lot from the burning city (Genesis 18:23 – 33).
Joseph worked with God to feed all of Egypt (Genesis 41 – 42).
Moses walked with God as he led a million slaves out of Egypt (Exodus 13).
Ezekiel spoke to the bones and the Breath of God and the dry bones lived (Ezekiel 37)!
Esther was God’s agent to bring justice to His people (Esther 1 – 10).
Jesus taught, healed the sick, cast out demons together with His disciples.
And Jesus used a little boy to provide lunch for over 5,000 people on a hillside one day (John 6).

Humans are still partners in creation. She creates hope, with God, with a spoken word of encouragement. With God, she creates beauty through paint, song and dance. She creates life and food, with God, in her garden. And as our best creation, when we conceive, God helps us make people, beautifully made in His image! There are no limits to what we can fashion with God.

Jesus loves creating together with us! He does not need us, but He wants us. He chooses to partner with us, even though we are flawed. It is an incredible miracle that we can join The Creator in creating life and beauty on earth!

When I sat on the beach that day as a high school student, I no longer felt out of place or ashamed. In the Presence of God, I felt chosen.

Called to Create

Your calling is not to simply observe the beauty of Jesus, but to jump in with Him to create more.

For we are His workmanship [His own master work, a work of art], created in Christ Jesus [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, ready to be used] for good works, which God prepared [for us] beforehand [taking paths which He set], so that we would walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us].

Ephesians 2:10

God created us IN Christ Jesus FOR good works that He has already prepared. You are His masterpiece, and He has plans for you. He chooses YOU to demonstrate His glory, and He invites YOU to share His message, to further His Kingdom. He knows you, loves you and asks you to create with Him.

There is beauty in you! Unleash it. When we say yes to the partnership, God performs the miracle.

How can you create today?

All scripture references are from the AMP Bible.

Coming to know the Lord in deeper ways, it is natural to express our love to Him. Writing our prayers as love letters expresses our desire and commitment.

Have you ever received a love letter? Maybe in elementary school, the kind that said “check yes or no”? From a first boyfriend that included some attempt at romantic poetry? Or your fiancé or spouse that said how much they love you and couldn’t wait to be with you again because you make their life better? My husband and I used to exchange these types of emotional, gooey, heart-felt letters when we would spend time apart. They would make me feel so warm and special, and still do when I look back and reminisce over them. I still love him so much that I can’t imagine a day without him in my life, even after more than 20 years of marriage.

Love Letters: An Affair with the Creator

Recently, I have started a new love affair that surpasses all of that. This love affair is grander than all of those other lovely, beautiful, essential loves because this love affair is with the Creator of all the others. With all of my heart singing and shouting, I proclaim: “I am in love with God!”

Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God.

1 John 4:7

I have always thought of myself as a Christian. I have gone to church, prayed, read the Bible and even talked with others about my beliefs. But recently I have finally begun to understand Agape love – the love of God for man and of man for God. Not just understand it, but feel it. The enormity and pure emotional connection that God has laid out to you and me is awe-inspiring. No one loves us like our God. He loves us before we existed and that love only multiplies.

For God so Loved the world that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

My husband, children, family, friends and students have all held pieces of my heart and I’ve doled out an equal piece to God. Seems reasonable, or it did to me. But I’m seeing now how much I’ve been missing. God GAVE me all the other relationships. Without Him, none of the others matter because they don’t exist. He loves us so much, He gave you and I a heart to love people. Why shouldn’t we love Him the most?

We love because God first loved us.

1 John 4:19

Love Letters: A Glimpse of God’s Love

About a year ago I started writing my prayers down. I did this as a way to be more intentional about my prayers and as a way to thoughtfully consider what I wanted to say. If it sounds technical and clinical, it was. Like a check list, I would make sure I had told God what I was thankful for, confess at least one sin, ask for forgiveness, and then ask for one thing for the world (peace, an end to hunger, for safety).

Looking back at it now, I see how clueless I have been in my love and understanding of God. God was right there for me though.

What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete as God’s knowledge of me. Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 13:12-13

He took my meager attempts at communication and started talking to me, presenting opportunities to have conversations with Him that have grown my love immeasurably.

May the Lord lead you into a greater understanding of God’s love and the endurance that is given by Christ.

2 Thessalonians 3:5

First He put new friends in my path that loved me before I loved them. He showed me His heart through their compassion and love for each other. We have read and studied His word together and every time I see these people I feel God’s presence.

Then he started putting books in my path that spoke to my heart and pushed my head out-of-the-way: Present Over Perfect, Shine, Hurt Road, She’s Got Issues, and The Circle Maker. These books all have been instrumental in my newly awaked love.

There is nothing that God loves more than people who are at home with Wisdom.

The Wisdom of Solomon 7:28

Love Letters: Intimacy with God

Finally, God has opened a life line of hope and joy in my life that I have always searched for. I have always wanted to feel His presence, but quite frankly haven’t except in the rare moments that I would call out from a place of brokenness and sorrow.

This hope and joy has come through prayer. But not just any prayer, love letters. I write God a love letter almost every day.

Dear God,

Thank You for loving me. I need Your love today to be my best self. Help me to hear Your desires so that I can reflect Your love and passion to those around me. I love You! Help me to love others the way You love me. Speak to my heart. I need to step out in faith, believing that You have me tight in Your arms, so I can never truly fall even if I fail. Help me remember to move toward Your miracles.

Love,

Me

Be ready for God to answer you.

He said, “God loves you, so don’t let anything worry you or frighten you.” When he had said this I felt even stronger and said, “Sir, tell me what you have to say. You have made me feel better.”

Daniel 10:19.

Maybe it will be with a feeling of calmness, words from a friend or family member that come at just the right time, or a Bible verse that just pops up. He loves you beyond all words – let Him hug your heart today.

All scripture used is from the Good News Translation.

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