Oh Wow #2—Creativity!

Oh, Wow - Creativity! 

By Tammy L. Hensel

"By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible." (Hebrews 11:3) 

 My husband is one of the most creative people I know. From sewing, to woodcraft, to computer art, he "wows" everyone who knows him. People often suggest to him to sell his creations, but he always says, "that would take the fun out it." However, he takes great pleasure in making special gifts for family members. 

 God also experienced great pleasure when He formed our world, summed up in the simple statement "God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good" (Gen. 1:31). The joy He felt that day when He first breathed life into mankind replays over and over again every time a new baby is knit in a mother's womb  (Psalm  139:13). He loves each one!  

God did not create us on a whim. When my husband starts a new gift project, he always has a plan. Many of his patterns, both for sewing and woodworking, he designs himself, with the likes and needs of the family member in mind. In Jeremiah 29:11, God says "For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope."

God made us to be the recipients of all the good gifts that flow from His character. We are not just one among the creatures God made. We are the apex, created in His image to worship Him, and through that worship, fellowship with Him. While scientists have discovered some animals that have intelligence enough to make and use some primitive tools, none of them have the capacity to create and invent like humans do. The part of us that expresses creativity and draws pleasure from our accomplishments comes from being made in the image of the Author of all we see around. 

The problem arises when we worship the creation instead of the One who made it. "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever" (Romans 1:25). Then we become filled with a false sense of accomplishment, thinking that we can exist without God.

God wants us to appreciate His handiwork. He desires for us to look in awe upon a mountain landscape, to marvel at the stars in the night to count the colors in the rainbow. He longs for us to explore the depths of our own creativity—to write, to paint, to invent. He encourages us to reach to the heavens, to explore the universe, to uncover the laws of nature.

Mostly, in all our endeavors, God yearns for us to offer our hearts up to Him and say, "Oh wow, Creator!"