So God created man in his own image… – Genesis 1:27, KJV

When God created man and woman, He created them in His image, meaning that He created them to have many of His own attributes. One such attribute is the attribute of creativity.

God is the most creative being in the universe. We see the evidence of His imagination all around us, and we see that evidence as well when we stare at ourselves in the mirror. What also stares at us when we look in the mirror are beings endowed with the capacity to create something of worth and substance for the benefit of others. Some people are gifted with the ability to create great music. Others, great art. Still others, great businesses, great ministries, great food, and great works of literature. Those who create such things experience personal fulfillment when they act upon their God-given creative impulses, and their creativity produces the added benefit of bringing joy to others. When God finished His creative work in the Book of Genesis, He declared that it was good. He declared that it was good because it pleased Him to see His work completed, and it pleased Him that those He created would enjoy the world He had given them.

Christians (and non-Christians, for that matter) miss out on the blessings of creativity all the time. We smother our creativity with a variety of poor choices. We pursue jobs that provide no outlet for our creative passions. We maintain such busy schedules that we do not have time nor energy to create anything. We fill our lives with mindless entertainment that prevents us from spending time on our God-intended creative work. As a result, we have created nothing at which to look and say, “That’s good!”, and we’ve given nothing to others for them to enjoy.

We can usually avoid missing out on the blessings of creativity. We can choose jobs that line up with our creative passions. We can say “no” to people and things that crowd out our creative time. We can reduce our “amusement” (non-thinking) time and increase our “musement” (thinking) time, thus feeding our creative impulses rather than our slothful ones. All it takes to transform a life of creative frustration into a life of creative fulfillment is the discernment to recognize the path to creative fulfillment and the courage and will to pursue it.

We were created to create. If we are not creating, we are missing out on some of the best blessings that God intended us to enjoy. Whatever it is that is stifling your creative efforts, push it aside so that you can have the time and the energy to pursue the creative work for which God made you.