Justin, my 8 year old, is the creator of the first living thing near the tree. He decided on the bird above the tree. First, he cut out the wings on blue paper. He then looks carefully at it. "It needs a body." He whispers. He cuts out the body out of scraps of other paper. He takes another look. "It needs a tail." Another whisper.
We have a bird. I am in awe of the child for a few moments as I take in what I've seen him do. He has made something from what I thought was nothing. Similar to what God did in the beginning. The whole process got me thinking about creativity and God.
Another quote from Ann Voscamp that needs repeating. "Creating in the face of fear, it's like that, a bit like flying right into freedom."
Creativity is essentially risk. We believe enough to leap into the yet unseen. The theological term for this is faith. Believing is risk. Never let the day pass without doing at least one thing that scares you a little.
Aidan also made a few birds with his little two year old hands. His birds are beautiful in their own right. He jumped right in. Ready to create something. "Art, its the second person present indicative of the verb to be. Art is a way of being and when you make your life art - thou art." Ann Voscamp, again. God said, "I am."
I blessed by the little creative spirits living in my home.
More thoughts.
1) Stop trying to be something you're not. We are all extraordinary because God made us that way. Quit trying to fit.
2) God made woman to be a creator, to open her empty places and let life be knit from within.
3) Creativity, it's good theology. God did just that in the beginning.
4) When we stop fearing failure, we start being artists.
5) Don't let the sun go down without doing one thing that challenges you/scares you a little. Even trees keep relentlessly reaching and stretching above into the unknown.
6) Creativity, art, its the second person present indicative of the verb to be. Art is a way of being and when you make your life art - thou art.
7) Bury your fear in faith. Otherwise you bury your talents.
I am truly blessed by the little creative spirits in my life.