Creativity Is Available to All of Us
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Too often, creativity is considered a gift artistic people possess, but not the rest of us. This idea is a mistaken notion. I've known incredibly creative individuals in every area of life. For example, when I was in high school, I worked at the local Hardees fast food restaurant. There was an older woman who worked full time. The job was grueling, and she was on her feet eight to ten hours every day. Many people would consider working the front desk and drive-thru to be a monotonous and soul-crushing life. Yet, anyone who knew her witnessed nearly superhuman energy and creativity.
This Hardee's employee was faster than every other worker, including me. She wasn't athletic, but she had a creative system for maximizing orders. She developed her method of memorizing two or three orders at once. As a result, she could get the correct number of fries dropped in the vat, and she ordered the sandwiches quickly. So while she moved slower than the rest of us, her creative system got her orders out two or three times quicker than the rest of us.
Whether you clean fish at a factory, collect garbage or serve fast food, there are opportunities for creativity. In his inspiring book, Creativity, Matthew Fox challenges us when he states, "To speak of creativity is to speak of profound intimacy. It is also to speak of our connecting to the Divine in us and of our bringing the Divine back to the community." My fast-food colleague got orders ready so quickly she wasn't stressed and focused on saying kind things to each of those she served. People stood in line just to have her wait on them. There were times the rest of us stood around because customers would rather stay in line to have her prepare their order than have one of us bring them their food. Her creativity brought "the divine back to the community."
Today, embrace your creativity. Whether you are considering new ways of improving your work or just cleaning the kitchen, creativity is available for any activity. Prayerfully call on the Holy Spirit to provide the wisdom to embrace creativity. When you embrace your divine creativity, those around you will be blessed. Soon, you will bring divine creativity to every activity in your life.
