A few weeks ago, my wife and I made our annual trip to Asheville for the Southern Highland Craft Guild show at the Civic Center. It was a beautiful drive up there, except the leaves were not in full color yet. There were a few mountains where the trees had begun to show their annual color, but things had really not gotten going quite yet. Regardless of that, it’s always a treat to spend the day in the mountains.
The show was crowded, something I was concerned about for the crafters. There are some crafters we see every year because we have several of their pieces and we want to see what they are doing now. My wife found some beautiful jewelry and some handmade leather items. I’m drawn more to the pottery and I found a couple of nice pieces.
One of the booths is for young artists who are attending school. I always like to support that booth to encourage the new talent. It’s interesting to see what the young crafters are developing and what they believe will sell. There is another crafter who used to be a teacher but now creates pottery. She recognizes my wife and me and always welcomes us as return customers. I really like the interesting designs she puts on her pottery.
It’s a very full and enjoyable day seeing the beautiful fall foliage and the talented crafters’ creations. Being exposed to all that creativity feeds my creative nature. It’s inspiring being around people who put their creative talents and genius into such beautiful products. It reminds me that we serve a creative and inspiring God.
Do you ever notice a beautiful sunrise on the way to work? Have you slowed your pace to take in the majesty of a rainbow? I realize that summer’s flowers have slowly yawned and prepared for their long winter’s nap, but did you take a few moments to walk through the garden and appreciate them while they were blooming? The hummingbird feeders have been put away, but did you sit on a warm summer day and watch those magnificent creatures buzz around your feeders and flowers?
Creation cries out to us that God exists. God’s creativity is all around us and I am afraid most of us miss it because we are either too busy or oblivious. He tries to reach us, to build a relationship with us, but we stay busy with what we think is important in life only to miss the very reason for our existence.
It’s important to understand that God wants a relationship with each one of us. He wants us to know him and the depth of his love for us. I also believe that God wants to use us in unique ways to express his creative nature to the world. I believe that talents, skills, and our abilities are gifts from God to be used as unique expressions of God living in and through us. It’s God’s creative nature oozing out through us.
When crafters create their products, when musicians play their music, when gardeners tend their gardens, when writers write, we exhibit our abilities that reflect our creator. He’s revealing himself to others through us. We are the clay in his hands as he works through us.
I challenge you to look up at the stars in the sky, walk along a sandy beach or look at the majestic colors of fall along a mountain overlook and it’s impossible to deny his existence. The wonder of creation from animals and plants to the forces of nature all point to one simple truth: God exists. The reason for our existence is not simply to enjoy God’s creation, but to allow his creativity to flow in and through us. When we do that, we are allowing his light to shine brightly through us in this dark world.
I want to encourage you to see the creator through his creation. I also want to encourage you to allow his creative energy to flow through you as you use your talents and skills in ways that honor him. God is closer than the air we breathe, but sadly many people miss that simple fact. God’s solution is to use us to express his creativity and thereby his very existence. Allow others to see God in you, his hope, his love, and his creativity.
Doug Creamer teaches marketing at East Davidson High School. His Web site is located at www.dougcreamer.com.