Creative Juices

I've been chatting on the phone this morning with the mother of a dear friend of mine, who like me shares a passion for writing. She's had a story idea come to mind and wanted to share some concerns as well as just her excitement for this new project.

I couldn't stop thinking about creative juices after we finished talking. Once they begin flowing there is no sense in trying to make them stop. It is akin to standing under a waterfall with an umbrella. Though I can't speak for others, there is a physical reaction I experience when the need to create overtakes. I almost can't sit still (which is counter-productive when one needs to sit to make the good stuff happen). My hands tremble, anxious to get the words in my head out onto the computer screen. I get fidgety, playing with my hair, my clothes, my fingernails, the incredibly messy computer desk. There are times I can't stay put and need to get up, walk around, find a glass of water, eat a grape.

With all that physical agitation, can you imagine the chaos reigning in my head?

Typically when we think of creative juices, our thoughts drift toward the arts: literature, painting, sculpture, music, etc. But creative juices abound in everything we put our minds to.

I can't help thinking of my friend Lisa, who is starting a food blog because she loves to create and play with recipes. I think of Shellie and Laurel who use their creative talents to make learning a fun and exciting experience for children. I think of Chantal and Erin whose humor is contantly put to work making others laugh. I think of Errin, who constantly uses her creative energy to help those around her feel loved.

Have you ever watched the show "Numbers"? One of the most brilliant example of how creative juices can flow in the exact world of math and science. Without creativity even in these areas, we would never have looked to the stars and wondered what was out there. No one would have thought to take a closer look at what makes the human body tick. Vaccines would never have been invented. Neither computers, nor games, nor gardens, nor Disneyland, nor boating, nor cooking, nor everything in this world would have happened without a bit of creative thinking.

Including us.

So my challenge to you this day is twofold: first, look for things you use in everyday life that has been brought to you due to some creative thinking; second, look for something - even if it seems silly or inconsequential - that took some creative thinking of your own. I deeply thank Mama Johnson for helping to put these thoughts into my head.

We are all God's creations, and if we were brought here on this earth in His image and His likeness, well, we must hold some form of His creative thinking within ourselves.