Created To Create

Ginger, a junior in high school who’s in my Bible study, told me that she really isn’t good at anything. “Impossible!” I said one day as we were driving down a road. “No, seriously,” she replied. “There’s nothing I’m good at.”

She named a list of things of which she was completely incapable. And I couldn’t help but smile. Because she also happens to be my next-door neighbor, I know a few things about her. I know her room is funky and artsy, filled with posters and big colorful flowers. I know she can bake great chocolate chip cookies. I know she baby-sits her two nieces every day (and one is only 3 months old). I’ve noticed the way she gives people her full attention when she talks with them and the way her gorgeous smile seems to light up a room. The girl who thinks she’s capable of nothing is one of the most creative people I know.

A Call to Creativity
We serve a very creative God. In a little section of my prayer journal, I make a list of things I’m thankful for each day. The more I notice the little things, the more in awe I am of the ultimate Artist. I thank Him for fireflies in the summer, for the way my best friend laughs and for the way home smells. I thank Him for all that emotional stuff we girls go crazy over: sunsets, moonlight, ocean tides, soft piano music and snow. When I make an effort to live in a spirit of thankfulness, I’m overwhelmed by how creative our God is. I find it hard to believe He shares all of His creation with me. He inspires me to move, to breathe and even to create.

God calls us a new creation when we are in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), and He proudly displays us as the workmanship of His very hands (Ephesians 2:10). Not only were you created in His beautiful image, but while you may not think so, you too are creative. It’s impossible to be made in the image of the Creator and not be. You may be an artist in the most literal definition of the word: You may have a canvas in your room and charcoal smears on your hands from your masterpiece. You may love making pottery or collages. You may love dancing or sign language or drama.

I’ve always loved writing. I remember driving to the mall one night last November and getting goose bumps when I saw the way the stars were popping out in the sky before the sky was even dark. I had to write about it, and with an absence of paper, I wrote a poem on the bottom of my shoe. While it sounds crazy, I know friends who have to sketch something, so they immediately grab a napkin, a piece of paper, anything they can get their hands on to get it out. Writers, painters, thinkers, sculptors — they’re all artists. But those aren’t the only ways to create.

Megan, another girl in my Bible study, can play just about any musical instrument her fingers touch. Michelle loves to write poetry, but beyond that she has a really fun, infectious personality that draws people to her. Caitlyn’s kindness and wild laugh make people feel welcome and special. These are all super-creative girls using their gifts to glorify God in really awesome ways.

A New Definition for Artists
Artists don’t have to be painters, professional performers or authors. Artists are people determined to see the world in a new light, determined to look into each person and find something truly spectacular. Artists can throw their imagination and heart into something and make it beautiful. There’s no greater definition of an artist than Christ, and because we’re made in His image, that passion to be creative is dying to get out!

In the miracles Jesus performed, He always turned heads. He knew the needs of the people He touched so intimately that while His ministry was certainly a public one, He tailored each touch to the individual. Faces weren’t nameless. Hearts weren’t unknown. The same Man who could go out at night and see the stars He created, could look into a life of someone that seemed wasted and pull out of that one scarred canvas a little ray of hope. He was the Master Painter. The Ultimate Author. He does the same for us.

Sometimes when I feel particularly left out, I know it’s because I’m not using the gifts God gave me to glorify Him. We’re happiest when we serve Him, when we’re doing what we were born to do. And we were born to create! Whether you can create masterpieces with a pen, a paintbrush, a banjo or a batch of blueberry muffins, or whether you just create the kind of place that makes other people feel involved, the truth remains: You’re creative. There are many ways you can serve God, even in ways that seem like no big deal.

Find Your Spot
You may feel very close to God when you’re perusing through an art gallery or listening to classical music. You may feel close to Him when you’re writing, dancing, baking something or spending time with someone who desperately needs a friend in his or her life. There are so many marks of a true artist, and anytime we create in His name, it’s a total act of worship.

In the book Checklist for Life for Women, a tiny section called “Expressing Yourself” says this: “Pay attention. Art is born in observation, awareness and appreciation. God’s creation is wondrous and complex. Your life is rich in beauty, wonder, mystery and the commonplace miracles of life. Appreciate the details, for you will find God in them.” You also might learn how to use your gifts for His glory.

Hidden Talent
I dropped Ginger off at her house and said, “Hey, I’ll pick you up at 6:30 for the coffee house.” She turned around, smiled, and said, “You can pick me up earlier if you want. I’ll help you set everything up.” After she baby-sat most of the day, she helped me set up everything, and she brought chocolate chip cookies she baked, and she worked at the information table taking prayer requests and telling people about ministry opportunities. So much for not being good at anything!

Sumber: briomag