Enthusiastically Creating!

"God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." 

Genesis 1:31

God saw me, and behold, He thought I was very good, exceedingly good in the original Hebrew. In the New Living translation, He saw that I was excellent in every way. God saw YOU and He thought YOU were excellent in every way! 

How wonderful is it that God is love, and He is disposed because of that love, to see goodness in us and in all creation. That is His first reaction, His inclination. He created us and delighted in us, much like our parents delighted in us but even more, much more! 

Should we not try to cultivate this quality of God?  Should we not greet each new day with wonder and thanksgiving? Can we welcome a friend, an officemate, the garbageman, created in God's image, with happiness and delight? How beautiful this world would be if it was filled with people committed to love others with purpose, working together in peace that defies understanding? 

When I give a talk on creativity, I never fail to point out that God thought His creation was good. He even thought the ugly aye aye, the gross star-nosed mole, the beastly southern elephant seal, were 'worthy to be praised'. He didn't destroy them to start again! So should we appreciate the work of our hands! God enjoyed the work of creating so much He gave us that precious gift as well, and we should use it. Let us fill the earth with our creations of music, art, dance, cooking, dissertations, project proposals, ventures, plans and ideas! Our gracious God gave us a mind and body with so much potential!

Thank You Lord for Your precious gift of creativity and life! May we be enthusiastic, "en theos", in God, filled with You, as we greet each day with all its possibilities and purposes. May our energy and passion color the world around us, and may we always be filled with hope!