Becoming Imitators

It was a quick trip to Lowes. All I needed was one little piece of tile for my husband to complete the backsplash in our kitchen. $1.26, but without it there would be a gaping hole.

I brought my baby and son #2 who earlier that day had completed a creative project. He had hand sewn his own little stuffed felt fox, and he was proud of it.

He was giddy the whole time he created, but he couldn’t wait to show the red felt masterpiece, hand- stitched with small blanket stitches, piece by piece, stuffing, stitching, attaching until the pieces became a whole. A recognizable fox, with all the quirkiness of a six year old’s stitches.

But one thing I couldn’t get over was how proudly he announced to anyone within speaking distance at Lowes, “I made this!” he would say, with a grin spread across his face.

“I made this!” I could hear the Father say it first. “Do you see the mountains, the sun, the blades of grass? Do you see that person with the funny hair, that boy with the winsome smile? I made this!”

In Ephesians 5:1, the apostle Paul writes, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.” I love that, because I love to watch my boys imitate their dad. Children naturally imitate those around them, especially older role models, ones they think are great and want to emulate.

There was a period of time I was meditating on this verse, and the question came to me, What was the first thing God did? We obviously are encouraged to imitate God in all things, however, the first thing God did was create. The ramifications of this reality are astounding. God created the world, and then lastly He created us in His own image, He never meant for creation to cease. We were meant to imitate our Father.

I think at times we’ve been limited on what we view creativity to be. If I can’t draw or paint, we succumb to the thought that I am not creative. In reality, this is a narrow view of the very essence of the word creative. A few years back, I read a blog post by my cousin, Dayn Arnold. He addressed this very subject and as I read it, I practically stood up and started cheering from my solitaire seat in the living room.  Because if God calls us all imitators of God, then wouldn’t He also impart to each of his children some measure of creativity?

Dayn wrote in Giving Your Creativity, “One of my highest values is creativity. We serve an infinitely creative God who created us in His image, and every act of creativity is at the very least a pale reflection of His incredible creativity. Everyone is creative in some way, whether they believe it or not, because they are a reflection of their creator. For some, creativity means artistic creativity, something you can see, something you can experience, something beautiful. But we can’t sell ourselves short. Some of us are relationally creative, able to create relationship where there wasn’t one before. Others, like my dad, are creative problem solvers. We all have it, and in an amazing stroke of divine creativity, our Savior is creative in the way He gifts each of us.”

While we enjoy the creation around us, and the invisible attributes of God it displays around the world, we can be like Him, and ask for continued wisdom to create. After all, He anointed Bezalel with the Spirit of Wisdom to create.   He has creative ideas we’ve never thought of that can be used to better the world around us and give glory to the Creator of all.

As you look around and see beauty around you today, hear Him whisper, “I made this!”   Then be inspired, let this day be about becoming an imitator of the Creator.