in His image

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth...” (Genesis 1:1).

“Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image...’” (Genesis 1:26).

In the Bible, the first thing we learn about God is that He is creative—the Creator of all. God could have started the Bible (the revelation of Himself to us) with any of His attributes—His sovereignty, His omniscience, His power, His glory—yet He chose to highlight His creativity.

The first thing we learn about humanity is that we are made in God’s image. In Genesis chapter 1, all that God has revealed of Himself thus far is that He is creative (though His attributes are many). Thus, we can learn that not only are we made to be creative, but that it is a very significant part of our humanity.

For busy people, it is easy to forget our need to create. If you're a busy stay-at-home-mom like you, you may think, I’ve procreated... and now I have no time for anything else! But Genesis 1 tells us that creativity is an essential part of our humanity and our relationship with God—and we are more alive when we live “in His image.”

I certainly have seen this in small ways in my own life. I am a poet; I love both reading and writing. I also am fascinated with cooking and baking. Successfully preparing a new, fantastically tasty dish makes me almost ecstatic, especially if it looks beautiful too! Your creative outlets may be different. Perhaps you love painting or organizing or scrapbooking or building car models or rearranging your furniture...the options are myriad.

Engaging in small acts of creativity renews my excitement for life, my sense of fulfillment, and my connection to God—the Creator! It also increases my ability to connect with my husband and children because I am more alive myself and because I begin to draw out creativity in them as well.

Here’s my challenge to you: Find a small act of creativity that you enjoy and that realistically fits with your schedule, and then do it wholeheartedly and regularly! God will meet you in it, and you will be a more joyful and fulfilled person because of it!