Monthly Archives: April 2016

Naturally Creative

Posted on by

Naturally Creative

I can’t draw a straight line without a ruler.  So when I see someone who can paint a portrait of someone without a flaw, my “respect meter” goes off the scale.  It just amazes me to see such talent.

I used to think that some people are creative, and some are not.  As I have matured, I have realized that in fact we all have the capacity and potential to be creative, but in different ways.  I now understand, for instance, that I have my creative side, even if I am not good at drawing.  I easily see connections and relationships of words, I enjoy writing, have written some songs, and even won a dance contest one time.

My Wife is artistic and has a natural ability to “see” compatible colors, and match shapes and things of different sizes, gifts which make her a natural interior designer.  I have enjoyed seeing the world through her eyes even as I appreciate these innate gifts.

But the single most important factor in my discovery is having seven children.  We have always encouraged our children to express their creative side.  We praise their “works of art” even though they may not appear prodigious at first.  We don’t have a TV subscription, but rather encourage them to read, play games, build things, do a project, or learn a skill during their free time.  The results have been astounding.  In this environment they effortlessly and spontaneously generate ideas and never seem to tire of learning.  Here are a couple of things I have learned which can help you to let the flowers of innovation blossom in your children:

  1. Acknowledge that we are all creative in our own way.  Start looking at your sons or daughters and say to yourself, “he or she has a huge potential to create and it is my job to nurture it”.
  2. Encourage exploration.  Let your kids draw, even it if begins with tracing, or rubbings.  Some may draw better, some will be better working with their hands, yet others are the designer types.
  3. Celebrate their work.  Rembrandt was not born in a day.  Post their drawings, display their Lego creations, give them awards and praise for a job well done.
  4. Commit to development.  Once you discover a natural gift, help your Son or Daughter to become more skillful, and set aside time for practice.
  5. Generate momentum.  You may not have seven kids, but one of the dynamics at work in our household is that the children feed off each other’s gifts and readily learn from each other.  The same could be achieved by inviting some of your children’s friends to your house to do these kinds of things together, or by sending them to a class.
  6. Reduce rivalries.  Our experience is that TV and computer time needs to be monitored and restricted greatly.  Some shows or games can enhance creativity when done in a balanced and guided way.  But their use should be limited in order to allow for a rich imagination to be cultivated.

Unleashing our creative side can be an exhilarating and lifetime pursuit.  Nurturing these gifts and skills in our children can also be one of the most rewarding part of our role as parents.  It is never too early neither should it be too late to start.  I have given you a few ideas, but how you move forward is really up to you.  Be creative with it : )

Practically Speaking

Posted on by

“I swear that only the Lord rescues me when I’m in trouble!” 2 Sam 4:9 (CEV)

My son and I were asked to come to the stage to participate in a game to find out how well we knew each other. Among the questions that was posed to Jeremy was, “who is your father’s favorite Bible character?” He told them it was David.

David truly was an exceptional man. Although he had his blatant faults and grievous sins, this was a man whose heart was after God. Even God said so (Acts 13:22)! While there are many aspects of his passion for God which I could highlight, I am going to mention only one here: David refused to go anywhere else for help.

This is not a simple matter, and it certainly is not a minor detail in God’s eyes. He says if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. The problem is, we make God to either be one of our many options, or some mixture. In other words, it is not only the “God or” question which should be our concern, but the “God and” question. This one is much more difficult to discern, and it is so acceptable in the Christian world that we scarcely notice it when it becomes our normal practice. As Christians, of course we include God in our plans. We pray about things that are important to us. And then when we face our challenges and needs, we come with God’s help as our confession, but also bring along a list of “what ifs” and “just in cases” in the event that He does not really come through for us.

It’s the Hagar principle all over again. We know that God may have promised Abraham and Sarah a child, but, practically speaking, Sarah was really, really old. It was disastrously decided that God needed a bit of help on this one, so Hagar became a seemingly viable plan B. By the response, and the consequences of this decision, it is quite apparent that God is not interested in or pleased with our “better ideas”!

But then there is David. He had been anointed to be the King over Israel. He was the most popular person in the land. He was their hero, who continually won the battles in which he fought, including the legendary victory over Goliath. “You come to me,” he said to Goliath, “with a sword, with a spear and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel.” Not God or something, and not God and something either. David faced his troubles and his enemies with a singularity of focus. This was not out of pride; the proper word for it is faith. He believed He was All-Powerful, and then he acted like it.

David was on the run for his life for eight years while King Saul sought to kill him. He had opportunities to capture King Saul, and to knock him off. He refused. He had the power and influence over the masses of the people to assert himself into leadership. He refused. He could have assembled an army to challenge King Saul. He refused. When he had Saul within his grasp the day Saul had slipped into the cave to relieve himself where David and his men were in hiding, if David had not made a clear decision and undying commitment to living according to that decision, all those years of running with his ragtag band, of not having a proper home in which to have an raise a family, of living from hand to mouth and upon the kindnesses of people such as Abigail (who later became his wife), would certainly have tempted him greatly to take matters into his own hands. But, for David, God was not a part of his plan; he was a part of God’s plan. There is a world of difference. He knew that God’s plan would lead to certain justice, and so he waited for it. And he knew that His plan was definitely not to be tampered with.

God wants to be my Help. And although it may sound simplistic and intuitive, He does not need me to find someone or something to help Him to help me! David said “I swear that only the Lord rescues me,” not the Lord and all my good ideas, or my friends, or some professional, or more money. So when I am tempted, practically speaking, to look somewhere else other than God alone for my deliverances, may David’s example in life give me the courage to reject adding or mixing anything to and with God Himself. The man after God’s own heart, by definition, is the one who makes God alone his Rescuer from all his troubles.