Creative

Colossians 1:16 (NLT)

for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

Good morning Zebras,

I hope yesterday’s z-mail on holiness was as encouraging to you as it was to me.  All day I was thanking God that my holiness does not depend upon my actions, but upon His. Focusing on God’s work instead of mine made for a very joy filled day.

Then, this morning as I was getting dressed, I noticed a list of “I am’s” that has been hanging in my closet for a long time.  It was given to me by someone who wanted to encourage me by letting me know who I am in Christ.  But I never really found the list that encouraging and today I realized why.  Knowing who you are in Christ doesn’t really mean a lot until you know who Christ is.

The ornament we drew out last night said “Creative.”  Not Creator, but Creative.  The difference sparked a lively discussion at my house.

Nick and I think creative is a different attribute than creator. One is the ability to imagine things; the other the ability to make things.   Creative people can explain their ideas to others who can do the work. Or, as in the case of Michelangelo, who imagined the modern tank, they can have an idea but not have the resources to bring it about.

Gary disagreed. He thinks that creative and creator is the same thing.  That to be a creator you must be creative because implicate in creator is the ability to make something from nothing. And if you are creative, you create. 

All of this caused me to do a little research which I must say was incredibly unhelpful.  I couldn’t find a single book that talked about the difference between creative and creator, not that it really matters because both are attributes of God.

God made everything we see, and everything we cannot see from nothing.  Nothing existed before God spoke it into being.  No earth, no angles, no heaven. Nothing.  And nothing was made that wasn’t made for Him. We only have to look to nature to see the creative ability of God. But that is not what I wanted to talk about.

What I wanted to talk about was the creative nature of God as it applies to problem solving.  When we have a problem we often try to find a “creative solution.”  We brainstorm ideas with others in an effort to think “outside the box.” 

But what I have seen recently in my life, and what has totally blown me away, is that if I take my concern to God in prayer and wait upon His answer He comes up with the most amazing solution, solving my problem in a way that I hadn’t even considered. 

For example, last May Gary and I were trying to decide whether or not I should return to work.   After two years off, Gary thought maybe it was time for me to go back. Since he wasn’t sure about God’s leading he took the stand that if God wanted me to quit work He would fire me. But I didn’t want God to fire me. I wanted to sacrifice my job up to God so I would get the blessings I knew would follow.  We both prayed and waited until God provided a solution that made both of us happy.

The school district fired me and then offered me a job which I politely declined.

Love,
Jill