W.I.S.H. – Weekly Insights for Spiritual Health 06-30-2021
Read: Exodus 35:30-36:7
Recently I have enjoyed vacation time in the beauty of God’s creation. I am led toward thoughtful reflection. One of the blessings for which I am very thankful is the blessing of creativity. I don’t have as much creative talent as some, or as much as I’d like to have, but I am grateful for the creative streak that God has given me.
Five years ago I began writing and sharing W.I.S.H. posts. I began by lifting up the first spiritual truth taught in scripture: that God is the Creator, and therefore that God is creative. I went on to submit that as beings created in the image and likeness of God we have the God given ability to be creative too.
Over the years I’ve found that it’s important to honor the gift of creativity God gives. I try to nurture it. I sometimes stop whatever I’m doing and yield to the creative impulse. I’ve learned that the hard way that great ideas not written down, will fade from my memory. I’ve known others who’ve had this experience too, preachers who get great sermon or illustration idea, but didn’t write it down, and it became lost. The opportunity for poems, hymns, stories, messages, even creative and generous acts of kindness can be lost because of delay. So, honor your creative impulse.
I want to highlight two creative souls, mentioned, but often overlooked, in the Bible. When God wanted the people to create a worship space, a transportable tabernacle, God shared the plan with Moses. God told Moses that two people: Bezalel and Oholiab, were the highly skilled, gifted, creative craftsmen, to be chosen for the honor of building the tabernacle and crafting its furnishings. Wow, what an honor! Imagine if God chose you to do such a thing?!
While Bezalel and Oholiab were the two chosen by God for the work, everyone was invited to support their work by giving an offering. That too was a great honor: to help make happen what God envisioned for the people. People gave willingly and generously, so that there was a surplus. A decree was made to receive no more gifts. Some missed out on the honor because they had waited. Learn to live in the now. Learn to follow the urging of the Holy Spirit. These are two great life lessons.
Shalom,
Pastor Rob Nystrom