Is God Calling You to Create?

If your YouTube feed looks anything like mine, it’s filled with videos with titles like “You’ve Consumed Enough, God Wants You to Create” or “This Video Will Show Up When God Is About to Call You To . . .” Each one offers a pointed challenge along the lines of “If you’re watching this video, it is God telling you to . . .”  

For the past few months, I’ve experienced a dry spell of creativity and fallen into the pit of comparison between me and seemingly more successful, popular creatives. It’s been difficult to enjoy the fun parts of filmmaking while managing the more tedious and stressful tasks of scheduling and networking. The joy I used to find in my film work has been replaced with insecurities and questions of calling. So, out of curiosity, I clicked on one of these videos . . . and then another . . . and another. Here’s what they said.   

First and foremost, we live in a society of overconsumption, and it’s time to create. The author of Proverbs 11:24-26 writes, “One person gives freely, yet gains more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor. A generous person will be enriched, and the one who gives a drink of water will receive water. People will curse anyone who hoards grain, but a blessing will come to the one who sells it.” The act of creation is intrinsically generous. When you make a work of art, regardless of which medium you use, you are putting something new out into the world. But hoarding other people’s works without creating anything yourself leads to poverty of the mind, heart, and spirit.   

Second, we were created to be artists! The first thing the Bible reveals about God is that he is a creative (Genesis 1:1). The first thing Scripture says about mankind is that we are made in God’s image, and that includes the artist classification (Genesis 1:26-27)!  God has granted each of us certain skills, strengths, and weaknesses, yet it’s easy to compare our gifts to those of others. In 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:3-8, Paul encourages us to remember that we each possess unique talents and passions that are vital to the body of Christ. Every life is different, and God has his hand over each one.  

Finally, take the risk. God is with you, and he won’t abandon you (Joshua 1:5). Creating can be scary, especially when doing so requires us to reveal vulnerable personal information. But “. . . God has not given us a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and sound judgement” (2 Timothy 1:7). The only way to hone our craft is through practice. In the parable found in Matthew 25:14-30, the servants who pleased their master were those who invested the talents he had given them, doubling their money. Conversely, the servant who hid his talent in the ground and did nothing with it had it taken away.   

I encourage all Christian creatives out there to stop simply consuming and start creating! The world is so much more beautiful when people unapologetically and joyfully create the art God has put in their hearts to produce.