Chosen To Create
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What has God chosen you to create?
Being created in the image of God goes beyond mere existence; it is also a profound responsibility and a God-given capacity to continue His creative activity in this world. This responsibility unfolds in several ways, including through self-transcendence and active creativity.
Self-Transcendence
If you were to draw a circle around everything that exists, God would exist outside of the circle. He has transcendence, which means He is independent and completely unrestricted by His environment and can influence everything within the circle. I believe most of us would instinctively understand this.
What I think is often forgotten, however, is that as beings created in God’s image, we also, similarly but in a more limited way, have transcendence: we can call this self-transcendence.
Still, I believe you’d probably be surprised by how many things you can draw a circle around and say, “There. I can change that.” This is proactive transcendence, or identifying areas in your world that you can — and should — plug into and change for the better.
Even in situations beyond your control, you can still practice reactive transcendence, or choose how to respond to negative life realities.
Active Creativity
Humanity is not only called to change things that are; we are called to create things that are not … yet. The mind of a human being, created in the image of God, has the power to conceive an idea that, when materialized, brings forth entirely new realities.
I believe this began with God putting Adam and Eve in the Garden with the intention of them continuing His creative activity. In “The NIV Application Commentary,” John H. Walton writes, “Making something is a one-time act. But ‘creation’ as the Bible understands it is a perpetual activity.”
You, too, are an active participant in God’s continued creative activity in our world. Every creation of yours points to the Creator and reflects His beauty. You do not have to accept ugliness, whether in a landscape, a classroom, or an office. You have the potential to will and act to make something beautiful that reflects God’s grandeur instead of humanity’s mess. You can create beautiful things in so many areas that can bring meaning and joy.