God is a creative God and his creative spirit runs deep in us as well. And while certainly there’s great joy in receiving the beauty and creation of others, our souls are left impotent and dry when we’re not also involved in the adventure of making something new ourselves. In fact, this act of creation is a mark of our human dignity.
Kids generally have no problem playing and generating all sorts of creative expressions. But somewhere along the way many of us start to doubt we have anything of value to offer. And this leads us to be mere consumers of life.
And many technological advances and social forces are quick to reinforce this idea. Why create something new when we can be endlessly entertained and have the collective knowledge of the world ever ready at our fingertips? Our creature comforts have allowed us to become lazy in exercising our creative spirits.
To be sure, we can create through our regular work or artistic expressions, but it can also include simply sharing our unique thoughts and perspectives on an issue. Or perhaps we create space for others to be seen, valued, and affirmed. Likewise, there’s a creative spirit involved in helping a neighbor, mentoring the next generation, or starting a new relationship.
Whatever the case, we diminish our ability to bring more life and goodness into the world when we’re not also actively creating. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with freely consuming the good others offer as well. But our dignity demands that we don’t defer all our creative expressions to others. We miss the depth and meaning of life when we do.
In the end, take delight in all the wonderful creations of others. But don’t diminish the glory God has given you to share by failing to create yourself. The world is waiting for the gifts you have to offer.
Photo by Alex Jones on Unsplash
