As a creative type, I love creating things. It's the way I'm wired. But sometimes the love of creating can become too important, and it becomes a substitute for intimacy with God. The "rush" of a new idea, or the joy of seeing a project come together has an immediate, narcotic quality to it that can become addictive.
On the other hand, creative ideas that flow out of knowing God are almost always more satisfying, enriching, and ultimately soul-filling.
I've come to believe that God sometimes withholds the creative impulse in order to get my attention back on him, where it belongs.
Although written in a different context, Psalm 137 has become my prayer. A prayer that creating things would not become more important to me than knowing and loving my Creator, the source of all life-giving creativity:
If I forget you, O Jerusalem,
may my right hand forget its skill.
May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth
if I do not remember you,
if I do not consider Jerusalem
my highest joy. (Ps 137:5-6)
So here's my version.
Lord, when creating things has become a substitute for knowing you,
May I be creatively frustrated.
May my search for a new idea lead nowhere.
May the dabs of paint look disjointed,
May the sequenced notes annoy my ear.Be my highest joy again, I pray.
This latest image is really that prayer in visual form.
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