Day 193 imago dei

Each human conceived is "Imago Dei," Latin for "image of God." Each human being is an "image bearer" of God Most High. Humans carry and "mirror" aspects unique to their Creator. Among these are personality,emotions, moral judgment, speech and language, abstract thinking, invention, creativity, architecture, music, visual art, liturgy and worship.

Creativity, like faith, is a kind of "spiritual muscle" that if exercised, will grow. One theological bottom line of the creation story is this: All human beings are created creative.

Creativity is part of the spiritual/genetic DNA of the whole human race. Because of the fall in the garden of Eden, our mental and creative capacities are diminished and curbed, but they are still far beyond what the average person explores in a lifetime. Those individuals we deem and appreciate as "geniuses" give us glimpses of the lost greatness of these capacities. We are crimped creators.

Children are playful, creative, and freely draw and paint without caring how exact or "perfect" their work might be. With physical maturation and the "self-consciousness" that overwhelms most teenagers, many stop drawing, painting, inventing and creating, or struggle a lot and feel like they are failing at their expressions. As adults, most people have "shut down" their creativity.

Our consumer culture demotes true playfulness, originality, and personal creativity. The "artists" do that, those generally seen as eccentric and out of the mainstream, maybe even anarchistic and revolutionary---the "far out" visual artists, crazed Hollywood celebrities, Facebook icons, or druggie pop music stars. Art budgets get cut.

As a result, compassionate, mainstream creativity is constricted. Originality, discovery, imagination, inspiration, ingenuity, inventive, resourceful, problem solving, visionary, talented, thinking outside the box---are all words commonly used to describe creativity, and creative individuals show that all men and women do carry and can demonstrate these traits.

We need to tap into, cultivate and "actualize" our God-given creativity. We are created and called to be co-creative. Our creativity is a kind of spiritual muscle, that if exercised, will grow.

Martin Buber, a Jewish philosopher, captures this truth in this poem. 

Creation

happens to us,

burns into us, changes us,

we tremble and swoon, we submit.

Creation - we participate in it,

we encounter the Creator,

offer ourselves to Him,

helpers and companions.

"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness....' So God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Gen. 1:26-27

Father, I agree with your word in Genesis: I am made in your image and according to your likeness. You made me to be creative. I pray that you grant me more understanding of this truth. Stir my unique creativity. Help me not to compare myself to others. Help me cultivate being more creative for your glory! Amen.