Creativity is a beautiful concept. The very foundation of our existence. We were created by a creative creator. So it makes sense that many of us have a longing to be creative. God is abundantly creative and He wants us to live life abundantly and be fruitful because He loves us and we were created in His image.
I’ve always been so intrigued by God’s creation and I’m often in awe whenever I travel and observe nature. Lately, I’ve been inspired to share my thoughts on this topic because I noticed my longing to be more fruitful and creative for His kingdom. I wanted to find the source of this desire because it’s been more intense than it ever has and I’m sure many believers can relate to this. It’s a longing to go deeper with God and explore the many ways He wants to use me. I’ve been feeling so honored to be in His presence and so humbled by the Holy Spirit that it’s caused me to really think deeply about my identity.
As Christians, we adopt the biblical worldview of being in the world but not of it as Jesus so mercifully says in 1 John 2:15-17 ” 15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”
From a very early age, I’ve always felt like a foreigner in a world I did not belong to. And this is before knowing Christ. I was bullied often and told that I’m different. Well, maybe there was some truth to it, my adolescent years contained some pretty peculiar attributes- for one, the enjoyment of singing in various languages in a household where that deemed rare and often made me the target of comedic relief. But I always felt the difficulty to conform. I struggled for a while in addition to being painfully shy but eventually, I was able to climb out of it somewhat and that just led me down a rabbit hole of mistakes. I was trying to be someone that I was not. Nonetheless, I discovered my unique talents and abilities and created a path of success for myself, or so it seemed (in retrospect I see God’s hand in it all). I wrote a play in high school that was elected to be performed by professional actors, I worked on a set for a film which has my name in the credits, I worked for former president Bill Clinton, was chosen to be valedictorian of my class and the list goes on. Yet I still believed I wasn’t creative; in many words, fruitless.
Of course with hills, there are always valleys in life. Valleys of stagnation when you feel unfruitful. That fruitlessness-despair which can sometimes lead to depression is a cry of our inherent desire to reconnect with the Father and be fruitful again. That desire has encouraged me to have a strong spiritual longing for fruitfulness. It’s as if those accomplishments in my past hold no value because I’ve found something so much greater! And it’s exactly what God wants from us. However, in retrospect, I do understand why God set me apart. Jesus says in John 15: 1-2 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” He gave us talents and spiritual gifts to edify the church in preparation for His return. This walk is not to be taken lightly it’s much deeper than just accepting Him. He is a creative God who has implanted creativity in us and unique gifts to be fruitful and be used by Him. Imagine if we were all aware of our gifts how much we can do!
Are you bearing fruit?
I pray that God blesses you and His Holy Spirit encourages you to seek the gifts He has implanted in you and use them for His glory. I pray that God will raise up a generation of believers that are so on fire for Him and are willing to perform and witness many signs and wonders again.
God bless and continue to spend more time in His presence.
With Love,
Vanessa
Living with Grace 