Taking Note of God’s Creative Hand

 

In the beginning God created. It’s easy to see that when we step outside, but we need to remember that it’s God Who gives breath to our creativity, too.

God’s been speaking to my heart about creation lately. About everything coming from nothing. About nothing being here that He didn’t create. About me being allowed to be part of the creative process. About understanding every that word I write comes from Him.

I mean, I *knew* this . . . but God is reminding me.

God continues to create inward and outward.

First stop. Rejoicing in His creation.

I’ve traveled to various places around the world, and the awe of God’s creative process hit me hard on one trip to the Czech Republic.

As I hiked the sun-kissed, wild-flower-speckled, rolling hills of the Czech countryside, my soul rejoiced over the beauty and the fact it was God who directed me (by asking me to go on the trip and share His good news) to those green grassy hills. More than once I wanted to stretch out my arms and twirl with abandon. “The hills are alive with the Sound of Music. . . .”

As rambunctious teens kicked around a red rubber ball and two toddlers chased bubbles, I felt a cloak of honor wrap around my shoulders. Who am I to be given such a gift of this place? Of these people? I wondered.

And as I’ve been thinking about this over the last couple of days, my jaw has dropped to my chest more than once, considering some of the beautiful creation I’ve been able to experience:

Alaska

 

• Drifting by a mountainous, blue and white glacier with the sounds of seals splitting the air.
• Watching a black bear catch hefty salmon while I stood on a boardwalk five feet away.
• Walking through a coastal rainforest so thick with moss and ferns that it appeared spray-painted lime green (and even more spectacular was the bounce of my feet on the cushy ground).

Pennsylvania and Ohio

 

• The clomping sound of a horse’s hooves on pavement.
• The golden light spreading over harvested fields of stubble.
• Trees where only the strongest yellow and orange leaves still clung to branches.
• Hills that rose and fell with quaint farmhouses dotting their expanse.

Montana

 

• Cupping snowballs in my hand and sharing them with my daughter.
• Gazing up at pines trimmed in lacy ice patterns.
• The crunch and squeak of my boots over the snow.

Add in: the Czech Republic, Miami, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Islands, Branson, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Memphis, Pittsburg, Ireland (only to change planes), London (only to change planes and have a spot of tea), Tyler, Texas, Naples, Florida, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and a dozen other states between Arkansas and Montana as we DROVE to see our family.

The joy of witnessing God’s creation was a gift to me.

And the truth is, the glory of His creation is around me every time I step out my door.

Second stop. Allowing Him to do His creative work in me.

Creating is scary. It risks rejection. It risks our “works” not living up to the ideal in our head.

Yet when we create, we use the gift God offered to man alone. When we create, we display God’s image, and we allow His breath (inspiration) to fill us.

“Our creativity comes from within a context, the context of our life as a creation of God, who is the Author and Perfecter, the Artist. From within that context we can unearth what we have to offer, and we can learn to be available to the creative offerings around us.” —Alice Bass, The Creative Life

What is creation?

As a noun it’s an exhibit of God’s glory. As a verb it’s an exhibit of God’s glory.

How amazing is that?

Today, no matter where you are, ask God to turn your heart toward His creation.

Today, no matter who you are, seek to allow God’s creative breath to flow through you.

To do so is to affirm that you realize your part in God’s plan of displaying His glory.

Today God is busy at work creating. Some of His creative work you’ll see when you step out your door. Some you’ll experience as you let your creative juices flow. Both are from Him.

 

Steps You Can Take

1. Go on a walk in your neighborhood or to your favorite park
2. Bring along a notebook and pen or camera and log the beautiful creation you find.
3. Take time to pray and thank God for being the Master Creator.
4. Ask yourself how you can honor God with your own creating ability today!

 

Prayer

God, your creativity and intricate design astound me. Thank you for making such a beautiful world full of wonders. Help me take time to notice the little things around me that point to you, and may I use my gift of creation to honor you.

 

More Resources:

The Creative Life by Alice Bass

Unlocking the Heart of the Artist by Matt Tommey

Finding Divine Inspiration by J. Scott McElroy

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