Be creative (4)

God told Moses, “You shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. So you shall speak to all who are gifted artisans, whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom, that they may make Aaron’s garments” (vv. 2-3 NKJV). Note the word artisans. God gives us artistic ability, and when we use it, we glorify Him. Clothes “for glory and for beauty” call for creativity. Stop separating the spiritual from the secular! “Whatsoever [you] do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord” (Colossians 3:17). How do you become creative? (1) By acknowledging that God made you to be creative; (2) by asking Him to reveal your areas of talent and creativity; and (3) by valuing creative ideas. No matter what you currently do or how well you do it, a creative idea will enable you to do it better. Creativity is being able to see what everybody else has seen and think what nobody else has thought, so that you can do what nobody else has done. Sometimes creative thinking lies along the lines of invention, where you break new ground. Other times it moves along the lines of innovation, which helps you to do old things in a new way. But either way, it’s seeing the world through sufficiently new eyes so that new solutions appear. “On the seventh day God ended his work which he had made” (Genesis 2:2). Notice that creativity involves work, which is why many people tend to avoid it. But if you’re willing to work at being creative, God will use you to do great things.