Thursday, February 18, 2010

Are You Creative?

I made a statement at work a few days ago has proved to be pondersome:

Everyone is creative. It may not look the same for everyone, but in some field, in some way, everyone is creative.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is more of a "feeling" I have than something actually based on God's Word or scientific research or something with a hint of objectivity. So I've been looking for evidence that would suggest my point is true (I know, it's a very backwards way to go about doing research).

One major piece in my favor: we were all created in the image of God, who is obviously creative.

CREATIVE * having the ability or power to create. Productive, creating. Characterized by originality and expressiveness; imaginative.

It's the Imaginative part that strikes me as being the heart of creativity. Something you dreamed of that wouldn't exist apart from your unique way of thinking. Maybe you concocted a new vaccine; maybe you found a different way of looking at a legal case that would enable you to persuade a jury; maybe you have a way of putting lines on paper that makes them come alive; maybe you came up with a database structure that perfectly meets the needs of your website.

Mom says she thinks someone who is creative in one area is creative across the board, and this threw me for a loop because I kind of agreed but it doesn't fit very well with my first statement.

But perhaps "across the board" is too broad, or at least too vague. Someone who has an eye for the arrangement of physical objects would probably have that same attention and gift for beauty in all areas of life -- in a room or on a page or on a body. But that same person wouldn't necessarily be good at creating databases. The database manager, however, would carry his creative bent to all areas of his life. [This is the part where, if I were the database type, I would include some specific, concrete examples of how database creativity would apply to other areas of life. However, my particular brand of creativity unfortunately has not yet extended to databases.]

Just to live and think and be who God has made you to be is Creative. By speaking, by your way of making decisions and interacting with others, you are adding to the world something that no one else can add -- "characterized by originality and expressiveness." Expressing your originality.

This gets into some murky waters when it starts to blend with the popular cultural theme of finding yourself and expressing yourself in order to fulfill yourself. However, this creative journey is not about giving the world the gift of myself. It is about bringing God glory that He cannot get from anyone else; it is about serving others in ways they would never be served if I were silent.

CREATE * to cause to exist; bring into being. To give rise to; produce. To produce through artistic or imaginative effort.

There is only on true Creator, the one who "causes to exist." But we are little creators, producing by our imaginative effort that which graces the lives of those around us.

"For we are God's workmanship (comes from the Greek word for POEM; we are his creation, something he brought into being) created in Christ Jesus to do good works (just as he worked his design in us, so we are to work, to expend the effort it takes to create) which God has prepared in advance for us to do (in the end, the originality is God's -- we just walk in the ways He has already lined out for us.)

And maybe you will find that some creative activity proves to be a window (for you or those around you) into who God is that never could be opened by any part of His vast creation.

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