The Vulnerability of Creativity

One of my favorite attributes of God is that he’s the Creator. He took nothing and made something incredible out of it. He was daring and bold and innovative when he made the world with all of its interesting features. He decided the exact measure of gravity, the tilt of the earth, and the speed of our planet’s turning. He made giraffes and buffalos and golden retrievers and octopi. He thought blueberries and mangoes and spinach would enhance our lives so he made each one of them.

Then God made mankind, giving us the most daring attribute of all: free will. He gave us life and breath and form and the ability to reject him or choose him. He bravely and vulnerably made human beings in his image.

Now we are able to create and, when we do, we can do so in the spirit of God. We have the opportunity to reflect him to the world when we make, invent, innovate, or dream up something. When we put pen to paper, brush to canvas, or fingers to keyboard we can share our Father with the world. We can display his beauty when we prepare a meal, put together a floral arrangement, design a space, or one hundred other creative things.

But creating is scary stuff. Seriously, it’s one of the most daring actions we can take as human beings. Vulnerability is deeply connected to creating—when you create you’re opening yourself up to rejection. You immediately make yourself available to criticism and questioning.

“Why’d you do it like that?”

“Don’t put that there, it would look better here.”

“She clearly doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

“What business do you have creating that?”

For me, I am my own worst critic. I will always be harder on myself than anyone else will be, and that little voice of the critic will often scream loudly in my ears any time I set out to do something new. When I sit down to write, she often pipes up and tells me that I can’t do it, that I shouldn’t do it, and that my endeavor isn’t worthwhile. She’ll berate me and tell me that no one will ever read my work or, if they do, they won’t be positively impacted by the things I create.

Sometimes I listen to her. Other times I remember the truth about the Creator who lives inside of me who compels me to create. I tell myself that he was rejected, again and again, was misunderstood by his own creation, and yet, he didn’t stop. He didn’t let the fact that he would be hurt because of the things he created stop him, so why would I? Then I remember the friends who have grown because of something I’ve written or been inspired to go after their dreams because I’ve gone after mine.

The truth is that creating is a terrifying experience and sharing that creation with the world is even more terrifying, but it’s worth it. 

What are you currently creating?

If you’ve been avoiding using your creativity, I encourage you to start today. Take a baby step and then celebrate that step like crazy. Then wake up tomorrow morning and take another step and another and another until it becomes a habit.

If you’ve grown stuck in your creativity, I encourage you to do the daring thing and share your work with a safe person and ask them what they think. It’s amazing how just that one step can make a world of difference as you reflect God to the world.

Creativity is a wonderful gift that we’ve been given to steward well. Let’s use our creativity for the good of others and the glory of God today!

To go Deeper: Get Creative!, What’s the Deal with Creativity?
Check out A Proverb A Day, available on Amazon!

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