God graciously stitched me together with the gift of creativity, and I feel so blessed. You should, too, because you have the same gift, even if you don’t realize it.
I don’t claim to be great at my creative efforts, but that’s the thing—we don’t need to be great to be creative. Because creativity in and of itself is an extraordinary power and titles like “great” or “professional” are just human labels used to pit us against each other, the same as viewing someone as “pretty”.
When God created us, did He say, “OK, this one I will make prettier than this one,” or “This one is the standard of beauty—those over there are just so-so.”
No, He made each of us in His image, and the gifts He blessed us with were tailored to us, and we are all equal in His eyes, gifts and physical appearance and all. He doesn’t love any one of us more than another; He doesn’t secretly admire one talent or skill over another, and He certainly isn’t judging the physical features that He crafted us with.
So, why do we do it to each other?
Why do we watch talent shows that pick creatives apart, elevate and praise the “best,” and tear down those who don’t fit into society’s definition of “talented”? Why does one person’s art evoke admiration and envy, while another’s makes us cringe? Why do we get goosebumps when we hear one person sing, but second-hand embarrassment when we hear another? Why do we look at one person’s craft and skill and then suddenly question our own?
And why do so many of us suppress our desire to write, draw, paint, or sing because we’re afraid of humiliating ourselves, or because we don’t feel qualified enough?
Imagine if J.R.R. Tolkien hadn’t been confident enough to write The Lord of the Rings, or if Michelangelo hadn’t thought himself qualified enough to paint, sculpt, or draw. Or, if Beethoven, because he couldn’t hear his own music, didn’t trust his talent enough and chose never to play.
Here’s an eye-opening truth: If you’re inspired to be creative, you’re qualified! And no one is “better” than you because you’re unique with unique talents. Only when we start worrying about what others will think or comparing ourselves do we become unqualified.
I’ve always loved art, but I never thought I was very good at it—and by society’s standards, I’m not. Because of this, I never pursued it much, even in private, and even though I wanted to! I’ve ignored the inspiration to draw or paint something for as long as I can remember. Just the thought of trying has always brought me a little piece of joy, but I never thought about how I might feel if I’d actually tried.
Well, recently, I started trying. And you know what? I’m finding so much of that joy I spoke of. On the surface and deep down in my heart, I really don’t care an ounce about how it looks to other people, and that is absolutely the key to experiencing true childlike freedom! I’m writing, drawing, and painting now for me, not for anyone else, other than my Father in heaven, Who blessed me with such gifts.
How am I creating for Him, exactly, by creating for myself?
By doing what He created me to do! By using the gifts that He blessed me with and the Holy Spirit inspired me to pursue, and no longer trying to please the world.
When I was a little girl, I drew pictures, colored, and made things because I enjoyed the experience—they made me genuinely happy!
Children are unaffected by the world. They don’t care how cold it is outside; they’ll play in the snow without a coat if they can get away with it! They don’t think twice about falling out of trees; they’ll climb as high as they can and just enjoy the view! They’re not worried about failing at anything; they do their best, with their whole hearts, and never care about the results! Until, of course, adults who lost their childlike innocence a long time ago start pointing out their failures to them.
Children aren’t afraid of anything, except the occasional monster in the closet or under the bed, but that’s more of an adventurous fear than a literal one. And children, when they experience pain or disappointment, they don’t remember or hang onto it like we do.
Children are safe. They have not been manipulated by the world to be anyone other than who God created them to be. And I believe they go to heaven no matter what, because they are innocent.
“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 18:3-4
But this is why the Enemy works so hard on children, by turning them into adults. And what superpower do all children have that keeps them safe from the evils of this world, only to be lost or twisted when they grow into adulthood?
Imagination. Creativity.
1“Reason is the natural organ of truth; but imagination is the organ of meaning.”
—C.S. Lewis
2“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
—Albert Einstein
3“Every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination.”
—Walt Disney
4“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.”
—Maya Angelou
5“Fantasy remains a human right: we make in our measure and in our derivative mode, because we are made: and not only made, but made in the image and likeness of a Maker.”
—J.R.R. Tolkien
The Enemy doesn’t want us to use our creative gifts because he knows how powerful they are. And why wouldn’t they be—God gave them to us for a reason!
Now, the Enemy is using something new to distract us, and worse, to cause us to lose our gifts altogether. Yes, I’m going to say what you think I’m going to say—AI. But before I go any further, let me be clear: I’m not entirely against the use of AI; I’m only against its abuse. When writers use it to write for them, and artists use it to draw and paint their pieces, when musicians stop creating their own music and let AI create it instead—that’s abuse. When we stop trying to learn new things, but use AI as a shortcut, that is abuse.
And the abuse of AI is, honestly, making us stupid.
Sorry about the cruel word choice, but it’s necessary. Do a Google search for “Is AI making us stupid?” and you’ll find all you need to know that I don’t have time in this article to explain.
The point is, the Enemy is using everything in his arsenal to keep us from being creative and from being passionate about our God-given gifts. Since the beginning of time, he has utilized all the usual sins—pride, envy, jealousy, laziness, greed—to make us use our creative gifts for the wrong things, in the wrong way, or to abandon them altogether.
Now, with the abuse of AI, we’re freely giving up our gifts for the easy way out; we’re no longer trying, working hard, learning, or cultivating our creative passions; we’re no longer experiencing accomplishment or the victorious feeling of figuring out hard things. We’re no longer working through natural obstacles like loss of motivation, or writer’s block, and learning more about our craft—and ourselves—but are replacing our ability to grow and thrive with an artificial, soulless machine that can’t produce a true human emotion or experience.
We’ve become microwaves, producing mushy, rubbery food without effort or nourishment.
But enough about AI.
For almost as long as I’ve been alive, I’ve loved writing, art, and world-building, just like my Father in heaven.
Who better to emulate than God, the Creator of all things? Our God is the creative Master. He painted, sculpted, sketched, and even stitched into existence everything and everyone we see. And since we were made in His image, it’s no wonder that every single one of us is inspired to create in some way, and why our hobbies and creative passions are so ingrained within us from an early age.
Telling stories. Painting scenes. Photography. Cartography. Singing. Sketching. Sculpting. Playing instruments…
The gifts are endless, and if you think about it, almost everything we do is, in some way, a creative process.
Unfortunately, most of us, as we get older, stop creating for ourselves and use our God-given gifts to cater to the world instead. Now, we do things to impress others, to make money, to feel more important, to be seen, and to stay relevant. This is what the Enemy wants, and every time we feel inadequate, amateur, or less than someone else, he wins. Every time we look down on someone else’s creative journey, he applauds. Every time we pick up a pen or a paintbrush and view it as a job instead of a passion, he gets his way. Every time we feel overwhelmed or depressed by literally anything, and it causes us to be unable to create, he feels triumphant.
He doesn’t want us to create! He doesn’t want us to use the skills and talents God gifted us! He doesn’t want us to be childlike, BECAUSE HE CAN’T TOUCH US THERE!
There’s something special—supernatural—about getting lost in our gifts.
I remember vividly how happy I used to be when I wrote stories and created fantasy worlds solely for the love of it. I remember, as a little girl, how free I felt, in mind, body, and spirit, when I built forts in the woods with my brothers, pretending I was this or that character in an enchanted land that could only be conjured in my imagination. In those moments, the darkness and evils of this world couldn’t find me, much less touch me.
I aspire to get back to that.
I know I can never be a child again, and my innocence died a long time ago, but I can try my best. In the same way that I learned how to be prideful, envious, jealous, and lazy, I can learn to be delighted, humbled, appreciative, and motivated again.
And that starts with choosing to create because it brings me joy and delights my Father in heaven, and refusing to create for the pleasures and expectations of the world.
The text in this article is copyright © 2025 Jessica Redmerski.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.