Creativity: a Gift from God by Ruth L. Snyder

This month on this blog we are focusing on beauty. I'm grateful for the incredible beauty God created in our world—everything from the amazing diversity among animals and human beings to breathtaking views in nature like sunsets. Beauty demonstrates God's creativity. Mankind was created in God's image, and we have inherited many traits from our Heavenly Father, including creativity.

"Creativity is the use of imagination or original ideas to create something; inventiveness." (Oxford Dictionary)"

George Land developed a creativity test for NASA to use when selecting engineering and science candidates. It worked so well, he decided to test children with the same questions. He followed 1,600 individuals, testing their creativity at age 5, age 10, age 15, and then as adults. 98% of the children passed the test at age 5, only 30% at age 10, 12% at 15, and only 2% as adults. Through this test, he concluded that we learn non-creative behaviour.

 Writing is a creative process—putting words and phrases together to create a story or explain a concept. When we discipline ourselves to sit and write on a consistent basis, our creativity increases. So, what does creating beauty mean for me and my writing?

• Creating beauty means selecting my words with care, picking the exact nuance to share what I'm thinking or experiencing.
• Creating beauty takes skill, practice, and patience. A first draft is a good start. However, I need to hone that draft until each word is included for a reason. Writing is hard work! (Have you read Max Lucado's advice on writing and editing?)
• Creating beauty brings me joy. When God created the world, he looked at his creation and said it was good (Genesis 1). I believe we share some of God's joy when we are able to create something beautiful.
• Creating beauty honours God. I want my writing to point people to Jesus. In order to do this, I need to humbly acknowledge that God is the one who gives me ideas and enables me to make a beautiful piece of prose or poetry.
• Creating beauty reduces my stress and keeps me healthy. When I spend time crafting something beautiful, I lose track of time. My focus is on creating. I don't have the ability to focus on squabbles or finances or anything else that weighs me down. Instead I can focus on putting together something beautiful, that makes me feel at peace.

I am grateful for the opportunity to create beauty with my writing. Often, I pair my writing with pictures I have taken (like I have in this blog post). Taking pictures gets me out of my chair and moving around, looking for just the right scene, taken from the angle that best captures the beauty. Even an old stump can be beautiful! Just like writing enables me to share beauty, sharing my pictures enables others to enjoy the beauty I have seen.

When I was thinking about a brand for my writing and coaching business, all my brand ideas had to do with nature or the beauty that God created. I played around with several ideas. My two favourites were an african safari theme and a rose theme. As you can see, the roses won out. (I'm saving the african safari theme for a time when I can focus more on my photography!)

What about you? How do you create and/or share beauty with others?

Becoming a Creative Christian by Nina Faye Morey

If you’re going to be used by somebody,

let it be JESUS.

For me, faith and writing are inextricably entwined. I have become a creative Christian. My creativity has acted as a catalyst for expanding and enriching my spiritual life. Creating something with my words has led me to delve deeper into God’s Word, allowing the Creator of everything (Colossians 1:16) to guide me and teach me His truth (Psalm 25:5). When I’m actively engaged in the writing process, I undertake more in-depth Bible study than when I am passively absorbing the words of others through devotional readings, Christian literature, Christian television programs, church liturgies, and so on. When I’m writing, I find myself constantly turning to my study Bibles, Bible concordances (print and online), and favourite Christian websites to research what the Word of God has to say about my subject and to find supporting Scripture verses. Whether or not I ask for His guidance, God always leads me to the sources that will help me infuse spiritual truths into my writing.

My Christian faith is what fuels my writing. I feel called to use my creativity to develop a deeper spiritual connection between my readers and Jesus. I try to light the way for my readers to follow Him and to see His will for their lives. My passion for writing is inflamed by my faith in the Word. Both my faith and my writing burn brighter because of the ever growing bond that exists between my creative life and my spiritual life.

My writing helps me and, hopefully, my readers develop a greater appreciation and understanding of how our spiritual and secular worlds coexist and intersect. I explore biblical themes, such as forgiveness, faithfulness, and hope, and inject them into a variety of genres. I integrate spiritual faith into a number of secular subjects, including health, education, and environmentalism.

Being a Christian writer in today’s materialistic and multicultural world is never easy. Many current writers’ markets are not interested in publishing books or novels that directly address Christian faith or theological themes. This creates a special dilemma for Christian authors who are aiming to write popular, commercial fiction. They walk a tightrope—trying to appeal to a general audience without alienating their Christian readers. They’re ever wary of the danger of sounding too “preachy” for the worldly. C. S. Lewis warned writers against relying explicitly on religious language to get their Christian message across: “We needn’t all write patently moral or theological work. Indeed, work whose Christianity is latent may do quite as much good and may reach some whom the more obvious religious work would scare away.”¹

A Christian writer may come to fear that theirs is but one feeble voice crying out in a vast inhospitable wilderness (Isaiah 40:3). Our belief in ourselves—our talent and our faith—can easily become tattered and frayed in the current secular climate of this world. But if we are faithful to our God, who created this world with His words (Psalm 33:9) and who was the Word (John 1:1), He will bless both us and our writing.

As writers, we are constantly learning and growing. Let God be your editor. Allow Him to make you both a better Christian and a better writer. He will help you rewrite both your life and your stories. He will guide you out of your comfort zone, enabling you to risk exposing your true faith and feelings. This approach will not only help you learn things about yourself and others, but it will also help others learn things about you and about themselves. Only when you are being true—to God, to yourself, and to your readers—can Jesus use you.

Endnote:

¹Lewis, C. S. Letter to Cynthia Donnelly (August 14, 1954).

Photos: Pixabay