Rediscover the Creator in YouÀpẹrẹ

Reflection:

Our words are one of our most powerful creative tools. We know that God created by speaking the world into existence (Genesis 1). Many cognitive scientists see one’s thoughts and words as creative because they are reshaping the pathways in our brains that affect how we think, feel, and experience the world. Literally, what you choose to focus on, behold, and speak helps change and rewire your neurochemistry, whether towards hope and goodness or the opposite. The thought patterns and lenses we have formed and can reform profoundly affect how we experience the world and what we create. Romans 12:2 tells us that we are transformed by how we renew our minds.

As we behold God and His goodness, what we create sparkles more withhope, love, and truth of the Kingdom. Today, you can create with the Creator by simply bringing new thoughts, words, or actions into being that reflect the hope and power of this verse:

●To bring good news to the poor. Celebrate the value and potential in the person God brings in front of you; share a struggle or testimony honestly and vulnerably with someone so they know they are not alone; offer a word of encouragement and hope; or communicate the profound message of God’s love and Jesus’ redemptive work via the cross and His resurrection.

●To bind up the broken hearted. Listening to and caring for the hurting and broken is a powerful creative act. Scripture and science have both found the therapeutic, healing power of speaking out one’s pain–when experienced in a place where people know they’re not risking judgment or disconnection. No advice or input is required to provide a listening space of connection and safety for others who have felt trauma, pain, loneliness, or oppression; this is one way to help create an experience of comfort and healing for the broken-hearted.

●To declare freedom to the captives, and liberty to the prisoners. Allow the Spirit of God to lead you in how and when to proclaim spiritual freedom from sin, tangible freedom from injustice and danger, the creative freedom to make this world look more like heaven, or the freedom inherent in the Good News. Your words and actions can be breadcrumbs that point to and demonstrate the joy and beauty of this freedom.

Our words can have a prophetic, creative effect in the lives of others, especially as we ask God to help us see humanity as He does. This does not require turning a blind eye to sin or dysfunction, but can involve an emphasis on the God image reflected in them today in the midst of a messy time. Speak with belief and hope for their journey. The Good Father that Jesus describes in Luke 15 saw something more than the muck and sin attached to His; His undeserved embrace, love, and belief is a transformative model for us.

Activation:

Pick one person in your life to create a moment of encouragement for. Pray and ask God to bring wisdom on how to do this in a way that reflects their true identity. Don’t focus on the messy process or imperfections you might see on the surface; God doesn’t give up on us or constantly critique us in our journey. Instead, use words of encouragement that celebrate the gifting, potential, or future of someone, and help them start creating a new belief around themselves. It is the goodness of God that leads us to repentance.