Be Fruitful...

What does it mean to be creative?  There are those amazing people who can make extraordinary objects, sounds and verse.  They create a porthole for us to escape the ordinariness of our lives as our emotions, intellects and energies are engaged and we are lifted by a song, a picture, a story or an object.  Are there only a chosen few who are creative?

I'm a Christian so I go to the Bible for my inspiration and wisdom. There I see God has a much broader concept of what it is to be creative and He calls it fruitfulness.  Genesis 1:28 records his command to the very first of his own creation, "Be fruitful and increase in number, fill the earth and subdue it."  God calls us to be creative by co-creating with him.  Raising children is one of the most creative pursuits humanity has undertaken.

Then Proverbs 31:31 the woman described here is told to benefit from the "fruit" of her hands.  She is productive, to the point of making the reader breathless, but it is clear that producing is fruitfulness and this a creative process.  To work is to be creative, what ever work one may be involved it, whether it is writing a symphony or making a sandwich!

In the New Testament, Jesus speaks in Matthew 12:33 about bad fruit and good fruit.  So not only can we be creative, but we must be wise enough to recognize if our creativity is for good or for bad.  Does my creativity do any good for anyone other than myself?  Am I creating to benefit others or is it all about me?  Does my fruit nourish or does it poison?  Is it to be shared or is it to be horded?

The Bible uses the word fruit and fruitfulness over and over.  We are to be creative, creating with our bodies, minds and spirits; creating things, babies and relationships. I wish to bear good fruit and share it with others.  Fear often gets the best of me and I may get started at some creative endevour and then stall out because of uncertainty.   I question if I am creative at all.  My inner critic is so quick to put on the brakes.  This in not my first attempt at a blog, but this is the one that is going to keep me accountable.  No more hiding or hording.  The fruit only spoils when we do that.  I'm ready to share!