Created to Create

The need to write is like the need to breathe--maybe even stronger. It's an action essential to my being. The need to write is not just a need for words but a need for what words bring--adventure, ideas, freshness, desire, beauty. I need to share what I see, feel, taste, hear, and believe. I need to convey my thoughts to others in a way they can understand. 

However, some things aren't meant for paper alone. They are meant to be shared, discussed, and analyzed together--among people--not just through the lines of paper, but in deep connection. This connection is deeper than the way ink connects to the page. It's a connection of hearts, souls, and spirits coming together. Are not the sharing of thoughts and emotions part of the way the human heart connects?  

We must share the very essence of our being with one another, for the sake of ourselves and of others. The longing for relation is at the very core of our being as humans. We were created to be in relationship with others and with our Creator. When we neglect to relate, we damage our souls. We must connect with our Creator and each other to truly be all we were made to be. 

Even so, it's not just about relating but also creating. Creating is our worship to our Creator. God loves to see our creations. This is simply using the talents God gives us to glorify Him, and it can happen in all forms.

This beautiful passage from one of my  favorite books, The Butterfly and the Violin, by Kristy Cambron describes this concept well:

"She told herself that to have something of worth in a world full of chaos was the very definition of beauty. It felt like a spirit liberation that couldn't be silenced. These prisoners, the ones who painted or wrote poetry or played in the orchestra--they refused to let that spirit die. And this, she decided, is why the heart creates. 

"God plants the talent and it grows, sustained by a spirit-given strength to endure, even in the mist of darkness. It thrives in the valleys of life and ignores the peaks. It blooms like a flower when cradled by the warmth of the sun. It remains in a hidden stairwell in a concentration camp. It grows, fed in secret, in the heart of every artist" (277-278).  

As I absorb the beauty of the dimming light before me dance on the land sprinkled with snow, I know that beauty can be found everywhere. It's in the sunset, it's in the concert hall, it's on the page. But it's also in the wind, it's teardrops, it's in the rain because the storm that pounds your heart will bring forth fruit. The fire that burns your soul will grow back flowers more beautiful than the ones it destroyed. The beauty of God's creation is in you. Let it out. Let others see it. You are His masterpiece. So, go. Relate, connect, create, and shine.