A Creative God

Have you ever wondered, where does our creativity come from?

All across human history, people in every part of the world have a desire to create and express themselves through words, songs, visual art, dancing and many more things. I believe that these expressions are not accidents. Instead they reveal something intrinsic to the human condition.

I believe this creativity that lives within each of our souls is evidence that humans were created "in the image of God." The Hebrew word, tselem, means likeness or phantom. Humans, both male and female, reflect something of the nature of God. It is clear that we are not God himself but instead that our nature, our personality, our souls resemble the Creator.

In this way, our creativity stems from this "tselem". It is not an unfounded or random nature that has developed over time. Instead, we can attribute the beauty of creative thought to the fact that God is creativity. I do not think we have to look far to see God's creativity. From the planets to the construction of the atom, God's ingenious brilliance is on full display in the world we live in. As the Psalmist states, "the heavens declare the glory of God, the sky above proclaims his handiwork." (Ps 19:1)

This reality has two different applications.

Firstly, for each person who believes they are not creative, I challenge you to think again. God put creativity inherently in our human condition and therefore the desire to create and express yourself is somewhere within you. When people say they cannot create, I would argue that they are denying themselves the ability to express themselves the way God designed. If you find yourself unable to be creative, I want to challenge you to take this before the Lord. Pray for your heart to be softened in this area. For God wants you to create, and develop the ability to create things that magnify His name.

Secondly, for those individuals that are actively creating things already, I believe that this reality also applies to us. We have developed the ability to express our ideas creatively and we understand the indescribable feeling of the "creative flow". I believe that this "flow" is part of our souls fulfilling something deep within ourselves that we were designed to do. As a Christian, I believe it is our duty to proclaim God's name in all that we do. This includes our creative endeavors as well. I want to challenge you to consider using your creative talent to make God's name known. As the writer of Hebrews states, "Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,“ (‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10‬:‭23‬-‭24‬) Meaning even our creative sensibilities should be changed and aligned with sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.

How wonderful it is that God allows us to use this intrinsic nature of creativity to proclaim his awesome name!

Do not be shy in your creative pursuits for God has given you the ability to express yourself and make His name known.

Leona