I find myself at the end of a long, monotonous day with a cacophony of thoughts slamming around in my head. I spent my day slogging through the minutia of everyday life. Humdrum. Much of what gives life its rhythm dulls its tone. The sun grinds its way through our day dragging night behind it, and all the while we yearn for some piece of excitement to illuminate our day.
Well, we long for the right kind of excitement. A broken leg would certainly fill our day with opportunities. We would get to see new (or visit old) places. We would have the opportunity to meet new people. We get to share our story. We might get a scar (useful in the future as a conversation starter). Yet, most of us don't long for a broken leg. It's the wrong kind of excitement.
So what is it that we want? It depends on the person, but it is often something new or novel or strange or out of the ordinary. We want a brush with greatness or an opportunity to shine. We want our words to move mountains and change minds. We look for something on a grand scale--something that will challenge the "norm."
This kind of thinking makes us miss out on what makes our lives unique. This life is the one we have. It isn't a trial run. The opportunities we miss while searching for better opportunities are lost. There is no getting them back.
We can spend our time dread here-and-now while we wait for something better to come along, or we can learn to find excitement in the moments we are given. I hate to do dishes. I grumble and complain the whole time (it's silly, I know). However, I am fairly certain that if I lost my hands, I would miss being able to do the dishes. My point is simple: if I'm not careful, I'll find myself complaining about things that I would wish for under different circumstance.
When a tempest of life is battering me from every angle, I long for humdrum. When my life is so frantic I don't know which way is up, I miss my routine. I haven't perfected the art of being content where I am or with what I have, but I'm learning. Sometimes, the kiss of sunshine on a fiery orange autumn leaf or the uninhibited cackle of my little girl is enough to fill me with wonder that God would permit me to know such beauty. Maybe my life isn't so humdrum after all.
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beauty. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2012
Saturday, June 25, 2011
An Affinity with Creativity
Creativity is part of the human experience. It has to be. Human's were brought to life in an act of creation. We were formed and fashioned to be the image-bearers of our Creator. As image-bearers, we were given dominion over the world, and called to subdue it. Human creativity and the resultant activity only make sense in a created world.
Creativity is often seen as the realm of the artist. Writers, painters, musicians, and others spring to mind when we hear the word creativity. But explorers, scientists, inventors, and more are no less creative. In a seemingly infinite universe, human curiosity is free to investigate, explore, categorize, and shape the creation. These tasks are the exercises of the dominion of man.
An artist can take a piece of marble, and fashion from that cold stone a masterpiece of form and design, that leaves others marveling at his ingenuity and ability. And in a perfect world, such artistry would ultimately lead to the praise of God, who formed and fashioned the artist. At the same time, a scientist can look through a microscope and decode the blueprints of the human gene, and the world is astonished at such brilliance. Again, in a perfect world, people would then turn to God in praise, because he not only created the scientist through whose brain such a discovery was made, he also made the blueprint.
Most of humanity strives toward creativity. Some people quilt or sew, other build and tinker, some write and others cook. The drive towards creativity is not always conscious. We often don't know that we are doing it. The image of God, though deformed by sin, is still present within us. On occasion, it still shines forth. That is not to say that everything mankind creates reflects the image of God. But we are clearly driven to create, categorize, and change things.
We have an affinity with creativity because we were made to reflect the Creator's glory. We feel a certain sense of accomplishment when we make or fix something. Because of our affinity with creativity, we recognize those with talent and their accomplishments. We even seek to improve our own skills in a pursuit for excellence. We were created with a capacity for creativity, and called to use it. How do you use your creativity?
Creativity is often seen as the realm of the artist. Writers, painters, musicians, and others spring to mind when we hear the word creativity. But explorers, scientists, inventors, and more are no less creative. In a seemingly infinite universe, human curiosity is free to investigate, explore, categorize, and shape the creation. These tasks are the exercises of the dominion of man.
An artist can take a piece of marble, and fashion from that cold stone a masterpiece of form and design, that leaves others marveling at his ingenuity and ability. And in a perfect world, such artistry would ultimately lead to the praise of God, who formed and fashioned the artist. At the same time, a scientist can look through a microscope and decode the blueprints of the human gene, and the world is astonished at such brilliance. Again, in a perfect world, people would then turn to God in praise, because he not only created the scientist through whose brain such a discovery was made, he also made the blueprint.
Most of humanity strives toward creativity. Some people quilt or sew, other build and tinker, some write and others cook. The drive towards creativity is not always conscious. We often don't know that we are doing it. The image of God, though deformed by sin, is still present within us. On occasion, it still shines forth. That is not to say that everything mankind creates reflects the image of God. But we are clearly driven to create, categorize, and change things.
We have an affinity with creativity because we were made to reflect the Creator's glory. We feel a certain sense of accomplishment when we make or fix something. Because of our affinity with creativity, we recognize those with talent and their accomplishments. We even seek to improve our own skills in a pursuit for excellence. We were created with a capacity for creativity, and called to use it. How do you use your creativity?
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