Some weeks ago, at our church’s Christmas fair, I bought a unique, handmade doll. She was one of many beautiful, quirky creations sitting hopefully on a table, as if looking for their rightful owners. The lady selling them explained she started making them during COVID as a way of expressing some of the bewilderment and angst many people were experiencing then, but later began bringing other whimsical ideas to life from the various materials she had at hand.
As soon as I saw my special, little purple person, I fell in love with her. Yes, she has an unusual face, along with elfin ears, glittery wings and an interesting outfit – perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, as I soon discovered! Some think she is weird, but to me, she epitomises so much – creativity plus, dedication and hard work, resourcefulness, a wonderful, whimsical imagination and plain, good old fun. At first, I could not decide on a name for her. Perhaps Esmeralda – or the more exotic Amethyst Aurelia? Eventually, after some discussion with our daughter on this weighty matter, we decided on Esmeralda (‘Essie’ for short) but also kept Amethyst Aurelia, as her possible future stage name – or perhaps simply as her own little escape from reality.
My special purchase caused quite a stir among family and friends and eventually one lovely friend, Debbie, decided to create a large, whimsical collage of Essie for my study wall, using the same colour theme and general idea. I was indeed touched by her efforts on my behalf and in awe of her ability to find the time to produce any sort of creative artwork. But I also sensed as I accepted her special gift how important it could be for her, in the midst of her super-busy life, to explore her own creativity and enjoy producing whatever ideas come to her mind too.
As I sit in my study now, with Essie perched on a nearby bookshelf, other beautiful artworks elsewhere, including several small paintings and a wonderful, framed piece of cross-stitch, and my collage on the wall behind me, I reflect on where all this creativity comes from. Out of my study window, I can see God’s amazing creations too – plants of varying shapes and sizes and shrubs with different shades and types of foliage. I can see the beautifully patterned trunks of tall gum trees and glimpse the sky too, grey today but often a pretty, pristine blue. I glance down at my hands on the keyboard then, such amazing creations in themselves in the way they function and perform so many complex tasks at the slightest instigation of our brains.
Surely our own creativity mirrors the heart of our amazing Creator God whose work, displayed each day in our own bodies and everywhere else in nature, speaks of such incredible, ongoing goodness, power, mercy and love. And, surely, our own hearts need to speak out our praise in return and do our best to display that same loving, creative heart to those around us.
Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!…
When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them? Psalm 8:1a,3–4
Jo-Anne Berthelsen's Blog 