The Creator/Creation Metaphor

I often wonder what people are thinking. As a speed painter, people see my work come together in a matter of minutes. The audience is privy to the entire process and there are always times in every creation where it looks like it is just not going to come together. In those moments I wonder if they think, “This guy isn’t good. Why did we bring him in?” The thing is, they don’t know what I know. They don’t know where I’m headed or what I hope to accomplish. They can’t. They’re not the creator. I am.

Every creative knows what it’s like to have a creation go through an awkward phase. That time when it looks like it’s just not coming together. The rehearsal goes terrible. The painting looks like it will never be what you see in your mind. The notes just aren’t falling into place. The story has hit a snag. The pot is marred on the wheel.

Ah, there it is, the potter… How may times does the potter come up in the Bible? The reference is obvious, right? God is the potter and we are clay in His hands. Sometimes it looks like the creation is going awry, but the potter knows what He’s doing. Even if he has to start over and remake it, the creation will eventually be what He intends it to be. You know this too. Even when your creation is completely off course, if you persist, you can rework it. You keep going until it becomes what you envision. Why expect less from our creator?

Now this metaphor does have one flaw, because there are times where we throw it away. There are times where we quit, and I don’t think God does this, because He perfectly loves His creations, us, but still… You and I are works in progress. Some days we feel like bright and shiny new creations, and others we feel like a general mess, but if we will allow our master to continue the process of creation and recreation, we are in the process of becoming the vessel the Potter has in mind. “He who began a good work in you, WILL carry it through to completion in the day of Christ Jesus.”

He’s not finished yet and neither are you. Keep working on your creation as He keeps working on His. It can be what you see in your heart. Likewise, one day you will be a masterpiece. In His mind, you already are.

This post has been inspired by a wonderful book I am using as my devotional right now. God’s Creative Gift-Unleashing the Artist in You: Bible Studies to Nurture the Creative Spirit Within by Jody Thomae