“Every child is an artist; the problem is staying an artist when you grow up.” – Pablo Picasso
When we are children, we are creative. Kids color outside the lines. They create forts in the living room out of chairs and sheets and whatever we can find. When we become adults, we often lose ourselves in “adulting.” Our minds drift to only logical thought processes. We go with the status-quo instead of relying on God to help us think of creative solutions to challenges we face.
You are created in the image of a creative God. You are created to be creative!
Gen 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
All that creativity that God possessed that he used to create this world, you possess that same level creativity!
Often, we don’t think to ourselves, “I’m a creative person.” Why is that? We think we are not creative because we compare our gifts and talents that God gave us with the gifts and talents, he gave someone else, and then we conclude, well, I’m just not creative because I can’t do what this other person can do.
Ephesians 5:1 Be imitators of God.
God doesn’t call us to be imitators of other people. He wants us to imitate Him! So stop comparing yourself to other people. You be you! The best you that you can be! The creative you that is created in the image of our creative God!
Why is it so important that we access and exercise the creative nature within us? You need creativity just to successfully fulfill your everyday assignments! You need creativity in all areas of your life.
Parenting: We ALL need creativity in parenting. You can’t discipline all of your kids in the same way. One child will respond to one thing discipline method and another kid will have zero response to that same method. Our kids are total opposites. You could just look at Faith with the “mom look” and she would burst into tears and stop doing whatever it was she was doing wrong. Lexi, on the other hand, she was way more challenging!
It didn’t matter what punishment we devised, Lexi would not respond to anything we did in traditional ways, so finally, we decided that we were going to put her beloved dalmatian stuffed animal dog “Spot” in time out. It was torture for her! She would wail! Spot was in time out! What a terrible thing. God wants to help you be creative in your parenting, you just have to stop and ask God, help me be creative!
Work: You need creativity at work to deal with people and situations and challenging projects. God will give you creative insights and solutions if you just stop to ask, God help me to be creative!
You have to know your God and become familiar with His creative solutions! Maybe it is hard for you to believe and have faith that God is going to intervene in your most difficult and impossible situations because you have no vision for God’s creativity. Our God is creative. He does not solve your problems the way you would solve your problems.
Daniel 11:32 The people who know their God will be strong and do great exploits!
We also need creativity if we are going to have an eternal impact our world!
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
God has a good plan for your life! He has a purpose for your life! You are his masterpiece, created specifically to do what he has planned for you to do. Only you can do what he has planned for you to do. No one else can do it!
What is the solution to the epidemic of homelessness, racial tensions, human trafficking, poverty, hunger, addictions, mental health issues, children in foster care, children in orphanages, gun violence, terrorism, single moms trying to hold down 2 and 3 jobs just to keep food on the table. God has creative solutions and we just have to pray and ask!
When God calls you to something that is outside your comfort zone, outside your realm of knowledge, outside your realm of life experience, outside your skill set. That’s when the miracles happen. We have to step out and get over the fear of failure. Fear that you won’t be good at it. Fear that your idea won’t be accepted. Fear that your dream might not succeed. The fear of failure has killed more dreams than failure ever has. Have you ever thought that failure might actually be good! It means you started! It means you tried! Failure is part of the process, part of your education
To get creative, we are going to have to think outside the box. We have to learn to break the rules. Just because it’s always been done that way doesn’t mean it’s how it should be done or could be done. God is ready to do a new thing on this earth.
Is 43:19 See I am doing a new thing. I announce it before it springs forth.
We have been trained to be really good at duplicating. We find a mentor, someone doing what we want to do, and we use their books, their manuals, put into place their systems and procedures, but what if God wants to do something new, something creative!
He is calling us to no longer be duplicators, we are going to be innovators!
Creativity also requires collaboration. Find yourself a team to collaborate and brainstorm and share creative ideas. Everyone has different talents, abilities, and perspectives, and we need to see all of them in order to be successful.
How do you access God‘s creativity in every area of your life? It starts with practice! Practice makes perfect. Muscles that you use get stronger! Use your creative muscle. Your brain. When was the last time you let your mind be creative? Go outside and look at the clouds and decide what animals they look like. Practice using your imagination! You can also practice asking God for his creative thought process!
WE BRING GP2RL ACTION POINT:
When you face challenging circumstances this week, stop and ask God to give you creative solutions.