Do You Have the “Spirit of Creativity”?

For Christians, it's certain that God is the most creative being in the universe.

From the inconceivably beautiful/bizarre celestial formations seen through the Hubble telescope, to the impossibly complex and equally beautiful universe inside a single cell, His creativity and imagination awe us. He paints a million constantly changing masterpieces in sunsets and cloud formations everyday. His brilliance in conceiving, designing, growing and sustaining living beings like humans and animals will never be eclipsed.

And, as they say about family traits, His creativity runs in the blood of His children. Jesus, our brother if you will, said we would do even greater creative acts and miracles than he did while He was on the earth.   For most of us that is hard to imagine, let alone achieve. Why is this?

I think there are several reasons why we don't feel we live up to the family legacy of creativity. First is the misunderstanding of what creativity is.  Many who think that they aren't  "creative" or "artists" don't think that they can flow in the spirit of creativity.   Actually, a major part of creativity is problem solving and decision-making, things that we each do every day.  Creativity is involved in how we respond to people and situations.  Prayer, led by the Holy Spirit is incredibly creative, often calling things into existence that are only seen in the imagination.   The Holy Spirit is present and involved in each of these activities, and He loves to whisper and nudge and partner with us in them. And when we listen and respond, that IS flowing in the spirit of creativity!

Taking this thought a step further, the fact is; we were all designed specifically for creative collaboration with the ultimate creator! We cannot live without human creative collaboration on the natural level; it is essential for everything from the conception of life, to relationships, to work.  Even something as simple as watching a TV show requires collaboration; the actors and writers and technical people not only collaborate with each other to make the show, but they must have an audience to collaborate in watching it.  Apply the concept of collaboration to our relationship with God, Who knows every iota of our personal potential and is especially fond of us, and you have the makings of the most fulfilling, exciting and productive flow of creativity imaginable. He beckons us to get to know His intimate voice and then partner with Him wherever we happen to be at any given moment, collaborating to bring His kingdom and redemptive creative solutions into the world, often in simple, ordinary ways.   And while we partner with Him, He reveals more of His incredible design and loving intentions for us as individuals.   The truth is, God craves creative collaboration with us, and there is joy for Him and us in it!

The skill of listening for God's voice is at the foundation of flowing in the Spirit of creativity.  It's the way that we begin to tap into the family legacy, the family business, you might say.  Jesus claimed that He didn't do anything on his own, but only what He heard the father speaking to Him. In other words, the only way that He did all the creative miracles, came up with all the creative answers and stories that stumped the learned men of the day, was through collaborating with His (and our) Father in every situation. That creativity is available to us when we learning to listen for God's voice.

One of the great joys of my life has been God's gracious leading down the path of this creative collaboration with Him. In my book, Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity I share what He's taught me and explore practical biblical keys for developing that all-important skill of learning to hear His voice.   I pray that you would experience more of the flow of the creative spirit in your life and the joyful creative collaboration you were destined for!

J. Scott McElroy is the author of Finding Divine Inspiration: Working with the Holy Spirit in Your Creativity (Destiny Image), founder of The New Renaissance Rising arts renewal movement (TheNewR.org), Director of Arts at Vineyard Community Church (North) in Indianapolis and a national voiceover artist. He speaks and lead workshops around the country on his book, learning to hear God's voice, the renewal of the arts in the Church and more.  Contact him at:  scott@FindingDivineInspiration.com.

Publication date: December 9, 2010