create

CREATIVITY. It’s like I can’t get away from it. It’s everywhere.  It’s hitting me from books, speakers, movies and life etc.

For the first time, in many years, my schedule is not over packed. I’ve cut back on work and leading many outreach programs. I love people and equipping people but this is a new season where God is asking me to create.

I’m realizing that the most joyful and content people are creators. This makes sense, since we are made in the image of a Creator, it only makes sense that we are more fully ourselves when we are also creating. 

People who are in jobs that don’t allow for them to create something new or to be creative, I’m more and more convinced that they won’t feel fulfilled.

Now the thing is, creativity is not cookie cutter. For example, co-creating with God and creating children is to me one of the most amazing form of creativity imaginable. 

Creating carries such a huge range of expressions from new ideas, new visions, writing, cooking, inventing, trying new plays and strategies on the sports fields etc etc. My definition of creativity would be something like bringing forth new life into the world through many different expressions.

To be extreme, when we stop creating and are stuck in a monotonous, routine, boring, machine, we are ceasing to co-create with God and ceasing to bring life into the world. We are ceasing to be fully alive. We are in fact, selling our time and selling ourselves.  This struck me as I watched the movie Pretty women, in which the actor says this:

10. Edward: “You and I are such similar creatures Vivian. We both screw people for money.”

The point is that simply making money is not fulfilling. Edward finally leaves his money making career  of buying and selling businesses because he wants to create again. He wants to go back and do what he did as a child which was to build and create. He wants to go into architecture. Just buying and selling businesses made him feel like he was selling himself.

This year in particular I believe the 2 areas I’d like to be more creative are: cooking and writing. 

So, the challenge to myself and to others is:

1.       What unique ways to do want to create and be creative this year?

2.       How can you begin that process?

3.       Who in your community can you be creative with or inspire each other to create?