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July 2016

What a Miracle Can Teach You About Creativity, Part 3

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(http://cdn.mamamia.com.au/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/06202916/sad-baby-shoes-istock-600×456.jpg)

(This is the third installment in a series about creativity. Here are the links to the first and second posts.)

When Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed more than 5000 followers, He not only took care of their hunger, He also taught His disciples about creativity. In previous posts, we looked at two aspects of the creative process: connections and courage. Now let’s explore another dimension: constraints.

Who likes restrictions? We want freedom to chase our interests our way. But when we have to be creative, our vision and sense of responsibility can drive us to rebel against restraints.

Yet as Calvin discovered, sometimes limits serve a purpose.

 

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(http://maclab.guhsd.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/calvin_dots.jpg)

The rules may confine you, but judge them by their results.

Add courage into the mix. Accept the limitations that the dots represent, but do so with daring. According to an urban legend, friends of Ernest Hemingway bet him that he couldn’t write a six word story. Taking the wager, he penned: “For sale, baby shoes. Never worn.”

Can you tell a tale with just six words? Maybe Hemingway wasn’t the author, but someone composed that line. Try it yourself and see what you come up with!

What limitations did the disciples face when the crowd hungered? Several.

Time. It was getting late, so if the people had any chance to buy food, they needed to go now.

Distance. Could they make it all the way into town, or were the merchants just too far?

Supplies. It turns out some food was available. Nothing but a single lunch. No way this will do. It’s not enough.

The problem was scarcity. There’s two kinds: perceived and actual.

Perceived scarcity means that you have more than you know; you just need to bring everything out into the open. The tale of stone soup illustrates this principle.

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(https://rightbrainbliss.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/owr_g2u9_stone-soup_45-final-copy-2.jpg)

A beggar wandered into a village and knocked on doors looking for a meal. He met with the same response – I have nothing to offer.

Hungry but undaunted, the beggar schemed. Receiving the same answer at the next house, he replied, “Oh, that’s too bad. You see, I have a stone which makes the most excellent soup.” Having aroused the curiosity of the homeowner, the beggar added, “The soup will taste great but some potatoes or carrots (or whatever came to his mind) will add to the flavor.” One by one, the neighbor contributed their meager supplies to the pot. In the end, the whole town enjoyed stone soup. And they were amazed that a stone could make such a wonderful supper!

Perceived scarcity; it feels real, but a little faith and a couple of steps can overcome it.

Actual scarcity? That’s something else!

The disciples faced a genuine lack of resources – one boy’s lunch. No one else had any food to share. That was it. And it was a real problem.

Time to panic? No, time to rejoice! As Paul learned, “when I am weak, then I am strong.”

So don’t complain about constraints. Learn to accept and even love them. According to Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, “Constraints shape and focus problems, and provide clear challenges to overcome as well as inspiration. Creativity loves constraints, but they must be balanced with a healthy disregard for the impossible.”

Did you get that? Welcome your limitations and reject the impossible! Sounds like great spiritual advice.

Jesus showed us that it works. With the inadequate and the insignificant Christ the artist continues to produce miracles. Is your constrained life one of His  masterpieces?

What a Miracle Can Teach You About Creativity, Part 2

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(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f8/Henri_Matisse,_1918,_Portrait_du_peintre_(Autoportrait,_Self-portrait),_oil_on_canvas,_65_x_54_cm,_Matisse_Museum_(Le_Cateau).jpg)

(This is the second post in a series on creativity. Here’s the link to previous article.)

“Creativity is courage.” – Henri Matisse

Last week we looked at how you could define creativity as “connecting the dots.” As the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 demonstrated, Jesus brought together hungry people, hesitant disciples, and a generous boy’s lunch in a display of unexpected creative power. (You can read about this event in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.) Combining seemingly unrelated things – that’s creativity.

This miracle elicits a second definition. Christ challenged those on the scene, particularly His apostles, to exercise courageous faith.

What makes a creative soul brave? When asked for his take on the essence of creativity, blogger Seth Godin replied, “this might not work.” To invent, design, or produce, you have to take a chance; you risk failure. You dare.

Herein lies the personal dimension of creativity. According to psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, “creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” And in his book, The Courage to Create, psychologist Rollo May maintained that “creative courage . . . is the discovering of new forms, new symbols, new patterns on which a new society can be built.”  This is no easy task; May stressed “the tension between conviction and doubt as the foundation of the highest form of courage.”

You’re not sure your idea will fly. It’s possible, even probable, that the concept won’t work, can’t work. Nobody’s ever tried this before.

You have to release your fears. Or keep them if you like; just don’t let them stop you. To solve daunting problems, dare to create.

What motivated the disciples to risk looking foolish by attempting to feed a crowd with a single sack lunch? Obedience. Jesus exhibited certainty and such confidence is contagious.

The presence of the masses tested the willingness of the disciples to believe God for the impossible. As John 6:5-6 reports, “When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ He asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do.”

How would you have answered His question? What would you have felt at that time – fear, curiosity, anxiety, anticipation?

I applaud the twelve for obeying the Lord. When He discussed the situation with them, they didn’t blame Him for talking too long or leading the people too far away from home. When He instructed the apostles to divide them up into groups, they complied. And when He blessed and broke one donated lunch, they distributed the pieces that somehow, someway, never seemed to end. Finally, when Jesus told them to gather the leftovers, they did that, too.

Christ was confident; but were the disciples courageous? I think so. “This might not work.” Nervous or not, they followed the Lord’s directions. And Jesus rewarded them with an experience of a creative miracle that they’d never seen and couldn’t imagine.

“This might not work.” Godin’s insight captures the struggle inside the artist or dreamer, including those who sense they’re alone with their ideas.

But disciples think differently. Christ lives in the midst of His people and He’s present in every quandary. Yes, believers should take chances, but they do so in obedience to a God who is on the scene and who cares.

To be creative, then, trust that Jesus is already there. Face your problems  by His side. Work with Him and follow His lead, even if it seems risky. When you do, you’ll participate in God’s creative process. You’ll experience the miraculous!

 

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