Principle #4 of “Ten Principles for Re-Igniting Your Life:
Your creativity is a reflection of the Creator. He designed some pretty outrageous things, including you! So, paint, write, sing, play, act, sculpt, dance, cook, design….! Create from your heart and soul in your own unique way.
Scripture adores God as the creator of all things in heaven and earth. Amazingly, as man and woman came into being, they reflected God’s image. As sons and daughters of Adam and Eve, we too burst with creativity!
Creativity is the process that brings something new into being. We usually imagine accomplished painters, musicians and authors but creativity is in each of us. Surprisingly, its potential expands as we age!
Deep down in my soul, I’m convinced God’s creative work in lives comes to its most magnificent climax somewhere near the end of the journey. I was reminded of that recently as I meandered through the outdoor galleries of a local arts festival.
A painter sat with his easel and canvas smack dab in the middle of the walkway. Beside him, his well-worn wooden box of tightly squeezed partial tubes of acrylic paint, still oozing drops of magenta and periwinkle and lemon. On his canvas streaks of color began to depict a cloud-covered sky at sunset. It had potential but no real form.
It did not matter that the painting was still in process; neither was it of concern that the artist blocked the crowd’s passage. We were in the presence of a master. His work was breathtaking, and so was his long white beard. His admirers call him the “Old Painter of the Pacific Northwest.” I do not know if he had painted for years or if it was a late-in-life hobby, but his work had a depth and maturity that comes from two things: skill and experience. He knew how to paint a sunset. He obviously knew how to feel one.
A key to re-igniting your life is unleashing the creativity God has placed within you! You might pick up the paintbrush for the first time, sit down at the piano to play a long-adored concerto or grow the largest pumpkin in the county. Creativity is open-ended.
I love watching some of my friends discover the power of their own creativity. Beth never considered herself an artist, but something magnificent happened at her first watercolor class. She could express her deepest feelings through color and brushstroke. Today she invites disadvantaged women into her home and teaches them to paint. They tell stories, share their lives and watch as their emotions translate into images on canvas.
Years after retiring as a woodshop teacher, Gene pursued his long-time dream. He learned to play the piano. His arthritic hands move slowly as his creativity bursts forth into pure and radiant song.
Bill, formerly a business consultant, volunteers as a storyteller. He makes frogs and princesses come alive for hundreds of kindergarteners.
No matter what form it takes, discovering and expressing your God-given creativity is key to re-igniting a life full of passion and purpose.
What new thing will you learn or develop in this season of life? What masterpieces will you create? How will you express the magnificence of your creativity?
–by Leona Bergstrom, Director, Re-Ignite
