The Gift Of Creativity

Now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.

“Wow,” I breathed, staring around the room in disbelief. Two of Botticelli’s enormous paintings covered the length and breadth of the walls, the dreamy depictions characteristic of the Renaissance period. Finding a spot on a bench in the center of the room, I soaked in the view.

In the few precious weeks I’d spent backpacking around Europe after my spring semester ended, I marveled at the art and history on display. I love my small Minnesota hometown, but growing up, I never had many opportunities to visit museums. Now, suddenly, treasures seemed to be everywhere—from the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford to the opera and symphony in Vienna, from the Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum in Rome to the buildings in Prague and London built long before the United States was even a country. These works of beauty aren’t just a minor representation from long ago; they are part of the cities and people I visited, a witness to humanity’s creativity.

On rocking overnight trains and in the quiet of early mornings, I read a dog-eared biography of Michelangelo. Then, during the day, his story seemed to come to life as I viewed his sculptures, from the quiet sorrow of the Pietà to the powerful David.

I love art because it reflects and reveals life. It bridges cultural divides and brokers understanding; it can last generations. Even more impressive is that the creative impulse and sheer talent people are endowed with is all thanks to our creative God. He is the ultimate Creator, a master artist who paints the skies in brilliant shades of lavender and cerulean blue, coral and ocher. Like a potter, he has molded us with purpose; like a sculptor, he refines our edges and reveals who we truly are inside. When we appreciate the works people have created, our gratitude reminds us of the God who created us and the masterpieces he’s made in us and this world.

Kristin

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Thank God for the gift of creativity. Consider a piece of art—a sculpture, painting, song, or landmark—and how its creation reflects the ultimate Creator.