For so long I told myself I wasn’t creative. I looked at others around me and how gifted and talented they were, and believed I could never measure up. As a result, I haven’t cultivated the giftings and talents that God has placed in me as much as I should have- always keeping them at bay, lest they come out and betray me in some way.
Yet when I was a child I was extremely artistic, good at writing, and musically gifted. I had no thoughts of how my creativity compared to others. I simply did the things I loved and enjoyed them. It wasn’t about the output; it was about the process. I was so enraptured and captivated by what I was doing that the final product had no bearing.
God has given us a creative spirit, because He is a Creator. We are made in His image, and therefore we are made to create. Creativity is a form of worship; as we offer into the world the giftings He has put into us, we honor Him and edify others. We don’t create to win the approval of men- we create out of the abundance of life and energy that He has given us.
I’m in a season of my life where God is calling me out further into my creativity. He wants me take risks and pursue those endeavors which for so long I have stayed away from out of fear. Fear that what I create won’t be good enough- that it won’t be perfect, and therefore not worth pursuing.
Fear stifles creativity; it severs our playfulness and imagination, and makes us small-minded. It tells us nothing is good enough, so nothing is born. Perfectionism will always fight against creativity, and we must not allow it to have any space in our hearts.
Our work is a reflection of who we are- creativity is the expression of our souls. It is the most extreme form of vulnerability, to put our creations out into the world for anyone to see. It requires great risk. We must be willing to surrender our pride and fear, and allow the inevitable times of failure and disappointment to come, knowing that failure pushes forward and helps us get better.
In the last year, I have been more and more drawn to the arts- the honest expressions of those souls who are longing for something more, who create beautiful things that speak of eternity, whether it is paintings, musical compositions, or inspiring pieces of writing. Perhaps it’s because I’ve moved to such a creative place, or simply that my own soul is longing for those same things- to break free of the confines that and limitations that I’ve unwittingly set for myself. What I know is that this longing to create is universal, that something in each one of us is stirred to express ourselves through our creativity.
Art is the fruit of a meaningful existence.
rhythms of grace 
An interesting piece; while I agree with some and disagree with other elements, it certainly has stirred up my creativity.
Thank you for the read!
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