Another form of rest that is rarely talked about or identified is found in creative rest. Creative rest is all about enjoying beauty. Now, because we use the word “creative” most people understand this rest as having a foundation in art. This could be seen, then, as a mandate to create something artistic and valuable….and for a lot of you that just sounds like pressure.
The goal of creative rest is not in the creating… so much as it is in the heart‘s desire to be captivated. We want to have moments in our every day that fascinate and inspire us. When we talk about creative endeavors we often know when someone need a creative rest… we talk about writers having “writers block” or, if you do the cooking at home, you might just say you “don’t know what to make for dinner.” These are signs we want to be inspired and are looking for inspiration. This necessitates a creative rest.
Exodus 31:1-6, “And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.”
God can, and does, give some people amazing artistic abilities to glorify Him and do His work. But beyond this, I believe all of us are creative, even if we haven’t discovered where we are a visionary…yet. Look for wonder in the every day. God has untold glories He is just waiting for us to behold. We are all different and appreciate the created world differently, so the question becomes, “What inspires you?” Maybe you’re one of those who loves the heat of summer and the ability to rest pool side, perhaps you love the ocean, snow, or prefer the mountains. Maybe your eyes stray to the culinary, to languages, to arcitecture, to music, or gasp the numeric and mechanical. Maybe you sow, or organize, or write, or just glue trash together….and it’s beautiful!
Let me encourage you that you don’t have to take some fancy vacation or have an expensive hobby to enjoy beauty everyday. Something wonderful is sitting there, right in your metaphorical backyard…and no one else has to think it’s great….so long as you do. So, enjoy it all the big and little mercies in life.
Live with a bit of color, and enjoy the freedom to embrace your own dramatic drum solo every once in a while. (That is, walk to the beat of your own drum.) Cultivate creativity, admire the excellent, and cultivate your loves in accordance to scripture and the good tastes God gave you.
