Get Rid of the Guilt and Create!
God's loving gaze
Are you creative?
If you didn’t answer with a resounding “YES!” I have news for you:
You were born to create!
It is your right to create as a co-creator with God!
It is your duty to create since you were created in the image of the Great Creator.
You cannot not create.
It is an energy that flows through us, a divine energy. If we ignore or suppress that creative drive, it will emerge as a destructive force.
Have you ever heard someone say: “I can’t even draw a stick figure!” We live in a culture that perpetuates the myth that only a chosen few are endowed with the talent to be an “artist.” We weren’t born knowing how to do multiplication tables but with training and practice we learned (most of) them. Why do we expect art to be any different? With a little bit of training and regular practice, you can tap into your divine creative energy.
It’s time that creativity be democratized! Creativity belongs to everyone! Maybe not as a way to make money or something “frame-worthy,” but as a way to feed your soul.
Be creative for the pure pleasure of it!
Another thing that our culture gets wrong is how it views pleasure. Somewhere along the way, the idea of doing something just for the pure pleasure of it became enmeshed with sinfulness, or maybe just non-productivity which is also regarded as a sin in our hyper-busy culture.
But think about this for a minute: Why did God, the Great Creator, create the world? Did God need to do it? Nope. God created the world for the sheer pleasure of creating!
If God can create just because it is enjoyable, you can give yourself permission to create something just for fun! Not to make money. Not to hang over your living room couch. Just because creating is good for your soul. It satisfies our innate drive to create.
In this season of my life, my favorite creative outlet is painting. What is it for you? What kind of making fills you with joy? Singing? Dancing? Crocheting? Cooking? Whatever activity makes your soul sing, do it with gay abandon!
Give yourself permission to play.
Release the idea of “guilty pleasure” and embrace the idea of “soulful pleasure.”
Follow God’s lead and create something today - just for the pleasure of it!