116 - Relationship with Creativity (Part 1)
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Relationship with Creation
God created us as emotional and spiritual creatures. We are created to do one primary thing in life, and that is to live fully.
Human beings cannot live fully without doing so in relationship with ourselves, others, and God.
Relationship is foundation upon which we build a fulfilling life.
Out of relationship we discover meaning, significance, and purpose. These things move us to be creative and productive on the earth.
Being productive is the fourth relationship. This relationship is a natural extension of being in the other three relationships.
Just as an apple tree’s roots initiate the production of fruit, so it is with human beings. If our roots receive the relational nutrition that we are created to absorb, the fruit of productivity is a God-created outcome.
Also, as image-bearers of God, we are created to create:
Psalm 8:6 (NIV) says, “You made him [human beings] ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet.”
We are created to oversee, caretake, steward, and rule over the earth.
Just as an apple tree is considered to be healthy based upon the apples it produces, so we humans are considered to be healthy based upon our creative response to life, as we live fully, love deeply, and lead well.
Social interest, i.e., the ability to care and contribute beyond one’s own personal gain, is marked by producing “fruit.” Social interest establishes a legacy of good, truth, and beauty that we “leave behind” us along the paths of our lives.
Social interest has its foundation in self-awareness, which is the integration of one’s heart and mind.
Simply put, when we know how much we are like others, we have an outcome of caring about others, as we care about ourselves.
The Conflict
The inherent conflict of living fully is between yielding to how we are created versus rejecting or being ignorant about how we are created.
God created us to see who we are made to be so we can do what we are made to do.
He created us to BE > DO> HAVE.
God created us to BE who He made us to be, then DO what we are created to do, which is to live fully, love deeply, and lead well. Then we will HAVE the full benefits of living how we are designed.
Matthew 6:33 (NIV) states that we need to “Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” This verse has in it the assumption of us yielding our hearts and needs to God.
We are created:
to be in relationship with God as we are created by God
to live according to His ways
to “have” lives that are good, in spite of the struggles, troubles, and tragedies that are a part of this world
The “world,” however is juxtaposed to the “earth.”
The “world” teaches another way of finding fulfillment, disconnected from social interest and creating.
The “world” teaches DO> HAVE>BECOME.
The world’s DO>HAVE>BE idea teaches us that performance is “king.” This idea leads us to be ignorant about or rejecting of yielding our neediness to God and other relationships.
The world’s teaching promotes performance and comparison with others. The world teaches us that we will get results that will lead us person to becoming recognizable and valuable by being “superior” to others.
The “world” model depends on competition and comparison in order to gain a sense of worth. This worth is called an external locus of control.
On the other hand, the “earth’s” model is full of expression and creativity, with a focus on the expression of how God created us. This worth is called an internal locus of control.
This internal locus of control has its roots in knowing and trusting Psalm 139:14 (NIV) and Ephesians 2:10 (NIV).
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14)
“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Relationship with how God created us to be connected in heart and mind; in relationship with others; and in relationship with God means that we are dependent creatures.
This dependence is inescapable.
We can choose how vulnerable we will be.
Will we risk investing our “talents” fully or will we withhold our talents and miss the fullness of the fourth relationship?
We are creators. The question is, “Will we create?”
Dr. Chip Dodd
Voice of the Heart Center
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