(Unsplash/Phil Hearing)
by Alli Bobzien
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The floors of my home shimmer with a dusting of glitter, and a strange smear of electric purple lingers on the kitchen table no matter how hard I scrub. My daughters love to craft. They create masterpieces like castles built from popsicle sticks, magical wands woven from daisies and reeds and swords hewn from branches. Their creations embody Aristotle's adage "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." The love poured into these simple objects imbues them with magic.
My firstborn, freshly six, engages with her art in a fascinating process, devoting her entire focus, choosing with care each element and allowing her creations to come together gradually. If I interrupt by gently asking, "What are you making?" She will often reply with a self-assured, "I'm not sure yet, we'll see." A sequined border, paint spiral or flourish of feathers will send the completed project in a new direction. Her joy in the process shines. She marvels at the works of her hands and finds beauty in all her art.
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I love this flexibility in her creative process, in her innate ability to let go of set expectations in order to see what beauty will unfold. I see this open-handed approach with her creations as deeply spiritual and God-formed within her. As I watch my daughter create, I am reminded of the wondrous gift that God gave us in creativity.
Renowned author on child and human development Joseph Chilton Pearce said, "We must accept that this creative pulse within us is God's creative pulse itself." Our creativity, this desire to imagine and create something new, is not only God-given, but also an attribute of God generously shared with us.
Examples of God's creativity surround us; God blessed us with a world that both cares for and delights us. Flora and fauna purify our air while also providing beauty and vibrancy to our world. Each sunset and sunrise paint the sky with colors that brush the edge of our imagination, reminding us not only of the rhythms of our day, but also of something beyond.
Similarly, the beasts of the field and forest and the delicate insects and birds of the air capture our imaginations in their patterns and design. Wings, as thin as a whisper, lift insects in unfathomable flight, giraffes crane their gorgeously printed necks to claim the highest leaf, and penguins dance a ballet of dips and dives with surprising ease in icy waters. God's hand in all of creation indicates an imagination, a sense of whimsy, that surpasses our understanding. Our Earth was created by an artist who delights in his creations and finds beauty in each of them.
Humankind, likewise, was crafted by this loving cosmic artist. Each of our appearances and interior lives were made to be unique and lovely, our paths designed as a maze of the unexpected.
(Unsplash/Sigmund)
The genealogy of Jesus tells a story both wondrous and endearingly human in its twists and turns. The narratives of Jesus' ancestors are riddled with brave outsiders, unexpected heroes and plot twists. Tamar upheld Jewish law through disguise, Ruth faithfully remained with Naomi against all logic of self-preservation and David rose from the lowly status of shepherd to fight a giant. Their actions made little sense to the world's idea of order, but they wove a tapestry of ingenuity that led to Christ.
God's plans, and the creativity in enacting them, often surprise us. They defy expectations and worldly priorities to create something beautiful. God's story written throughout time reminds us of the flexibility and imagination bestowed on each of us. We were not created as static beings, plodding along one after another, but instead to mirror and join in the dynamic nature of God's creativity; a gift offered even in our moments of weakness and pain.
God's creativity extends to asking us to imagine a new world in Christ; a world turned on its head, where the last shall be first and the first shall be last, where beggars are given seats of honor, where the son of God becomes man to die on a cross and rise again to save his beloved creations.
Each of our appearances and interior lives were made to be unique and lovely, our paths designed as a maze of the unexpected.
Now we are tasked with living in this creative new world. Our own journeys are often fraught with plot twists, but God asks for our trust. To look at the stories of Scripture, open our hands and move forward with hope.
God's creativity teaches us the wonder of the unexpected and asks for our patience in allowing beauty to gradually unfold. This same creativity widens our perspectives to see beyond the world's order and envision our future with courage.
As I look forward to the months and years ahead, I pray for the grace my daughter exemplifies while crafting. The grace to approach my own plans with a creative hopefulness, and to trust the greatest artist with the result.
