Creators! Let's Create!

I went to church with my grandsons on Sunday. This was the first time the church was fully opened since the pandemic began. Opened, with the exception of limited seating that was maxed out and distanced. What amused me the most was when we walked up to the front doors, tables were set up outside with these bowls of wrist bands on them. Each color had a specific meaning for each one's social desires: Red = “So glad to be here, but please keep a safe distance”; Yellow = “Ready to chat but prefer not touch”; Green = “Ready for hugs & handshakes”. I’m sure introverts loved the red ones; the non-huggers, the yellow ones; and, the social butterflies, the green ones.

I liked that creativity. I also appreciated the thoughtful way the rows of chairs were spaced a good distance apart with two seats between families. Creativity seems to have been a major plus during these times. Sometimes a crisis becomes a strong driver of creativity and innovation. We’ve witnessed it on many levels – families who became creative within their family dynamics – more outdoors activities, indoor games, creative projects and creativity and innovation at national, state and in educational levels here at the start of another school year.

Anyone who spends time on social media has probably noticed that hidden between the political rants and Covid fears are more interesting posts sharing someone’s latest craft-work, recipe, a talent being shown off, or a Facebook Live inspirational talk or some other kind of hilarious situation – many of which have gone viral. Most represent small, but important moments of creativity. I’ve seen many of my friends completing jigsaw puzzles. One couple was so creative that the 1,000-piece puzzles became an opportunity. When they placed a piece, they would offer up a prayer. 1,000 pieces meant 1,000 prayers.

The examples of everyday imagination we see on our timeline may not strike us as creative-with-a-capital-C. Clever family photos, meme creations, or Zoom singalongs may not be the best-of-talents, but we can’t let comparison diminish their value. If creativity is a light, it does not have an on/off switch. My view is that creativity has a dimmer switch, growing from a tiny bit creative to a little creative to creative enough to light up the whole room. I’ve seen that in the way my own family has come up with creative work spaces for school projects and backgrounds for videos.

The truth is we are ALL creators because we were made in the image of OUR Creator. Erwin McManus says: "Creativity should be an everyday experience -- as common as breathing. We breathe, therefore we create.” And on another level of creativity is everyday we have the opportunity to not only create beauty in others by the way we speak to them, but we have the opportunity to create environments conducive to turning darkness to light, animosity to tenderness and kindness, hatred to love and sadness to joy!

So, CREATORS!!! Let’s CREATE!!! Let’s get our “creative” juices flowing and start creating beauty and life with OUR words AND actions! Wouldn’t it be great if we could look at OUR creations, and, like God, say, “It is very good!” (Genesis 1:31)

Born to Create

Our Creator continues to inspire me daily. All of His creation is masterful! I'm so proud of Him. I'm like a child when I say, "THAT’S MY DAD!”

Honestly, I cringe when I hear people say: "I'm not creative. I can't cook. I'm not an artist. I’m not a crafty person. I can't sing. I can't sew. I'm not technological. I could never blog like you do. I can’t play an instrument." I continue to be amazed at the talents and abilities of those who activated their creative abilities! Those who realized that with training, studying, practicing and pursuing, are the ones who are doing what we wished we could do. It started with a desire and a dream and they put those desires and dreams to task when they turned their “I can’t” to “I can”!

Case in point….Marco! I met this brilliant and talented master chef last week while in Mexico. His culinary abilities were outstanding and his attention to detail inspired me. Oh, I know we are all busy and it takes time to master a skill as Marco has done, but he took the time to learn and it has served him well around the world.

My 96-year old friend in Tulsa recently took up watercolor painting. She was delighted to show me her works of art displayed all around her room. She followed in her Creator’s handprints and created.

Erwin McManus, author and speaker, says: "God designed you to design; He created you to create; He imagined you to imagine; God dreamed you to dream; When you were born, you were not an ordinary child. Someone made you feel you were ordinary. You are the essence of your Creator. You are the reflection of God, Himself. You are extraordinary. Now it's time to BE the genius He created you to be -- you are both a work of art and an artist at work."

The CREATOR of the universe made us in His image so we have the goods to do WHATEVER we set our heart and mind to do. I, for one, didn’t realize I could write and blog eight years ago, but I let the creative juices that were already in me, placed there by MY Creator flow and I began to write. Here I am, eight years and 1,898 blogs later and I am creating!

Maybe someone convinced you that you are not creative. Someone spoke into your life to make you LESS. And it's time someone spoke into your life to make you MORE. I’m doing that today. I’m encouraging you to create. We are WORKS of ART.....and we are ARTISTS at WORK. Our homes should be like Picasso's attic -- where we are dreaming and imagining and creating. I'm speaking into your life RIGHT NOW and telling you...."Silence the voices. Get out that paint brush.....and start painting! Get out your pen or computer and start writing! Get out your cookbook and start cooking! Take a class. Buy a “How-to” book. BE a Creator!”