‘This is what the kingdom of God is like,’ said Jesus. Á man scatters seed on the ground…’ (Mark 4:26).
To live creatively is to draws seed from the stock of our imagination and plant it.
What are the dreams and imaginings of your mind? Have you dismissed them as mere daydreams, figments of the imagination that will never happen? Or are you willing to plant and cultivate them and see them grow?
When you imagine, you have the potential to create. You develop your imagination by asking God to give you further ideas. You absorb things that cultivate a dream.
Then one day, your dream begins to grow. And you know it is no longer just a castle in the clouds. The idea becomes less of a hopeless fantasy and more of a possible reality. One day, after days or years, the dream is fulfilled.
And if it isn’t? Well, not every seed lives. Not every plant survives. And not every seed produces the same outcome. But as the writer of Ecclesiastes wisely reminds us, ‘Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap’ (Ecclesiastes 11:4).
It’s worth the risk. Plant your seed anyway. Watch it grow. And then, who knows, you may well be able to reap. Be an imaginator! Be a dreamer! Be a creator! In other words, live in the image of God!
To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.