(This is the fourth installment in a series about creativity. Here are the links to the first, second, and third posts.)
“Care enough to create.” That’s what I felt God dropped into my heart as I reflected on the topic of creativity.
Over the past few weeks we’ve examined connections, courage, and constraints as elements of creativity and how each one featured in Jesus’ miracle of the feeding of the 5000. (You can read about the event in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.) Now onto compassion!
The phrase above reminds me of Caring Enough to Confront, a guide to pastoral counseling written by David Augsberger.
Don’t mistake confrontation for rudeness. To confront means to communicate the truth to someone you believe needs to hear it. When you confront, you reveal what’s in your heart; you demonstrate concern. It’s bold, not boorish.
So also creativity; it shows that you care. Christ exemplified this. For example, Matthew’s gospel records four instances when compassion for the sick and needy moved Jesus to creative action (9:36; 14:14; 15:32; and 20:34).
Each occasion impressed on the Lord’s disciples how caring and helping can lead to amazing results. And why not? After all, as author Willa Cather wrote, “where there is great love, there are always miracles.” And according to renowned cellist Yo Yo Ma, “passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you’re passionate about something, then you’re more willing to take risks.”
So let your work reveal your compassion. Allow creativity to display how much you care. When you’re motivated to make a difference, you may witness a miracle.
They say you can’t give what you don’t have, but isn’t that just what creativity does? In this sense, it’s miraculous.
But I admit that this is easier said than done. “Send them away!” That’s what His disciples told Jesus when the crowds were getting hungry and the time was ebbing away.
It’s hard to care about others when you’re in the same predicament. The disciples had as little food as the crowd did. If I were one of the apostles, I’d probably worry more about myself than the people.
But that’s not how Jesus saw things. Like everyone else, He also had no food, but His thoughts were of those He’d taught, including the disciples.
Yes, Christ felt compassion for the crowd, but what do you think He felt for His disciples? What does He feel for you?
Do you care? If you do, then learn from Jesus about the power of compassion. Let Him use you to bless others with creative miracles.
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