by Jill Pearson
Indulge me for a moment as I take a creative meandering through Genesis 1. Envision the triune God: Father, Son, and Spirit, hovering over the loose gases of the universe, calling out the word “LIGHT” and behold, there is light. Imagine their hoots and belly laughs at this miraculous first step of creation. Can you hear it? Can you picture it?
“Sky!” they shout. Boom. “Land” Boom. “Plants! Creatures!” Boom. Boom. “Man and Woman!” KAAAAAAH-Boom!
Then they look slyly at each other, smiling and winking. It’s time for the delicious details: sound and tone and vibration, so that man could discover music and dance. Minerals and oils and clay, so that man could discover drawing, painting, sculpting. Fibers and woods and metals, so that man could discover weaving, knitting, sewing. Herbs and sweeteners and grains, so that man could discover cooking and baking.
God’s gift to us in creation: endless possibilities. Hallelujah!
But wait! Our brilliant God does not skimp on the cellular level of our gorgeous DNA, into which He designs a compulsion to communicate and emote. This allows us to write and perform and be moved by stories.
Think about it full circle…in God’s perfect wisdom, He gave us the raw materials and creative capacity to enable the Greatest Story to be…
told, written, sung, danced, painted, sewn, sculpted, and performed, oh my!
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in her poem Aurora Leigh, wrote…
Earth’s crammed with heaven,
and every common bush afire with God
but only he who sees
takes off his shoes.
All I can say is WOW! Thank you, God, for cramming heaven into earth and for giving us even a modicum of Your intelligence and creative spark. As a person who has been described as creative throughout my life, I feel much gratitude for the way God has empowered me to use my creative passions to express my faith and advance the Kingdom alongside many other likeminded souls.
This month in The Stir, we feature women of Calvary who find joy in the world of the arts. Jody meditates on how music has woven its way through her life. Briar shares the “sweet” side of creativity, as her mom, Jenna, recounts moments on the theater stage. Suzy reveals how choir can be therapy, and Kate takes us along on her journey of writing and publishing a novel. Nancy shows us how she spins and knits beautiful fibers, and Melissa shares an original poem and reviews a book about creativity and faith.
Enjoy these stories and more in our August edition of The Stir!
Jill Pearson is co-editor of The Stir, wife to Dave, and mom to three young adults who have flown the nest but are easily lured back with an offer of dinner. She owns and operates Riverwood Studio, an art education business, and finds creative ways to serve at Calvary.