The Creative Mind

Yesterday was one of the beautiful spring days with the sun shining and birds chirping. It was a joy just to stand outside and celebrate this wonderful gift of creation.

In the afternoon I had the opportunity to spend some time with Sierra, playing in our backyard. I love to watch her imagination at work - it reminds of the creativity God gives to us and the joy we we have in putting that creativity to work.

We were running around, climbing on her playset, throwing the football around, and just having a blast in the warm weather. Then she came up to me and said - Daddy, let's play duck, duck, goose. My first thought was this will be tough, there are only two of us, so basically we are going to be running in circles, but I said, sure, let's play.

So she led me over to the deck, pulled out a couple of chairs, and had me sit down, all as she was holding a stick and telling the dog to follow us. She then put her little hand on my head, and said, duck. She put her hand on the stick and said, duck. She chased the dog across the deck, caught her, and said, duck. She then repeated that over and over until she finally had her hand on me and said, goose. The she squealed, chase me daddy. And she ran through the backyard, ending up on her little chair. Then I had to do the same thing. We did this over and over throughout the afternoon.

I never would have thought of using a stick in the game, the dog, maybe, but not the stick.

This kind of play and the creativity of little children is such a blessing. It reminds me that we are created to be creative beings. But as we grow older, that creative seems to be lost. We are more concerned with image, doing what looks good in the eyes of others, and fitting in to the society we are a part of.

But creativity is a true gift from God. It is this gift that empowers us to come up with new and innovative ways to reach out, to support others, to show love and grace to the world. Creativity opens new doors and experiences, and remind us that there needs to be joy, laughter, and fun in our lives.

To be a physical presence of grace in someone's life means stepping out of our comfortable boxes. It means letting ourselves be open to the Spirit, listening to what God is calling us to do, and letting that creative spirit go to work in our lives - so we may go and work in the lives of others.

So my prayers today are that we may be open to the creative Spirit of God. That we may step out of the boxes we have put ourselves in and see the great gifts God has given to us. And that we may play - play with family, friends, and loved ones, always celebrating the gifts of love and grace in our lives.