Creative Renewal

             For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:10)

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”  So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:26-27)

I have yet to find where in Scripture it commands us to be creative. I’ve found the part in Exodus where God gave some workers the Spirit of God so that they could create according to His direction. What I do find is that we were created in the image and likeness of the One who was creative, because He created all that is, including us. And I find that we were created to do good works.

We have grandiose ideas about being creative. We seem to think it requires that we come up with something spectacular and one hundred percent original. But let’s get real. If you scrub the dishes, you end up with something there that was not there before: clean dishes. If you make a hamburger, you’ve taken raw materials – like as sculptor – and put it through a process that resulted in a finished product that (we hope) will serve the purpose for which you made it. In fact, quite often, what makes the painter so awe-inspiring is the ease with which he seems to make something wonderful. And no doubt, a good eye and steady hand are part of it -but how many eyes did he paint before he got to the “Oh wow” point?

I’m not trying to denigrate artists. The point is that while we may not measure up, that doesn’t mean we aren’t creative. Even if we’re not original, we can still solve problems or make things that didn’t exist in that form before we made them. Think of it this way: God didn’t just say “Let there be light.” He also separated the light from the darkness. Organizing is part of creating.

If you google it, the creative process is described as preparation, incubation, insight, evaluation, and elaboration. All of it is being creative, but it’s only when we get to elaboration that we’re acting on the ideas. So here’s the shock of the day. If you decide that the idea that came to mind isn’t going to work, that is part of being creative. And that brought to mind an interesting question. I looked up the antonym (opposite) of creative, and it included all the words you’d expect, like unimaginative. But being unimaginative is the lack of creativity, not its opposite. Its opposite is destructive. I’ll take that a step further and say that the opposite of creative is merely or purely destructive. Sometimes, being creative requires getting rid of something. You may have to demolish part of your lawn to put in a garden bed or driveway, but that’s not the same as covering your lawn with multiple layers of herbicide.

So, since we are creative by nature, part of wintering well, according to the author, is to embrace creative renewal. Be creative – unapologetically. Even if it’s something easy. Or doesn’t come out right. Or you end up looking silly. Make a cup of tea. Print out a coloring book pages and color it. Bake cookies. Organize a drawer or a closet. Turn on music and tap your toes then tap them a different way. Make a list of ten things you can do with an empty soup can or spaghetti sauce jar other than throw it out. (Recycling it counts as one.) Do one. Buy a packet of seeds and plant them. Help a neighbor create a driveway that isn't covered with snow. Dare I say it? Do what you can, where you are, with what you have, now.