Creative Wisdom

The wise men who visited baby Jesus adapted to the challenges they faced, modeling for us the creative wisdom we all need. They didn’t get the reception with Herod one would expect, and they knew from the Holy Spirit that their plans had to change. Like those wise men, we need not only wisdom to understand the times, but sensitivity to God’s spirit, and creativity to adapt to the challenges we face.

If we have promised to love God with all our heart, all of our strength and all of our ability then we cannot settle for anything less. Our minds must seek wisdom to speak effectively to our audience. Our creativity must keep developing in order to offer something fresh in the cultural conversation. We cannot rest upon the successes of yesterday or be discouraged by closed doors standing before us today.

God is still In Charge

Never forget that God is still sovereign. No matter the obstacles, the closed doors or the mountains that need climbing, God is with you. He has gifted you, called you, and He will make a way for you. And yet, you have a role to play. God never promised an easy road. In fact, He explicitly warned us that difficulties would come and people may even hate us because they hate Christ himself. Yet, you are called and He will guide and protect you.

Even Miracles Take Work

It is exciting to read the Bible and focus on answered prayers and impressive miracles. If we are not careful we miss the hard work that was also present. Sure, God punished Egypt with 10 plagues, but the Israelites still had to sacrifice lambs, put the blood on their doorposts, pack up all they could carry and leave home without really knowing who this God, ‘Immanuel’ really is.

Or recall the time Jesus fed the 5,000. The little boy had to bring the loaves and fish, but then the disciples (only 12 of them) had to serve 5,000 people family by family, row by row, until they were done. That is a lot of fish to handle in one afternoon. It would have been exciting at first, but exhausting by the end of it all. This is because God doesn’t leave us out of the picture. He invites us to play a part, and it requires rolling up our sleeves and getting our hands dirty (or fishy smelling). Don’t stop praying for miracles, but don’t be surprised how much God designed your hard work to be a part of the process.

The Call to Creative Wisdom

The life of a creative is never boring because it constantly requires wisdom in every facet of life. Creative wisdom is necessary in creating content that speaks to your audience in the way you intended, maybe even learning the latest techniques for NFTs, VR, AR and so on. But it is also necessary in your life as an entrepreneur.

From pricing and networking, to negotiations and marketing, the demands can seem endless. We can all benefit from coaches, mentors and spiritual directors. Problem solving and creativity are always needed. We also need to fuel our creative wisdom in order to achieve all that we set out to accomplish. Incidentally, that is a key reason we created our online Catalyst Course to train creatives how to be an entrepreneur in their niche. Feel free to check it out before it starts again in a few months.

Wisdom Alone is Insufficient

There is nothing so bothersome as a wise person who never gets out from behind the desk and takes a risk. Such wisdom lacks grit and fails to inspire. It is not enough to know what is right, or even be able to say what is right. The challenge is to do what is right and to have the compassion and conviction to communicate the truth, in love, effectively.

Our current culture, is not looking for people who have mere knowledge. After all, they have Wikipedia, social media, and a hundred other questionable sources of ‘knowledge.’ What they are longing for is to be loved, to be spoken to with compassion, and to be shown the beauty of the gospel in a fresh way.

Creativity Alone is Insufficient

Talent is cheap. As Steven King put it, “Talent is cheaper than table salt. What separates the talented individual from the successful one is a lot of hard work.” Creativity takes talent and places it in the service of creating something new. This is a tremendous gift, and terribly satisfying, but it is not enough on its own.

We need wisdom to know how to engage our patrons, our audience, and our fans. We need wisdom to use creativity to spark new conversations from unique and winsome perspectives. It is this wisdom infused creativity that enlivens our artistic conversations and pushes and prods our audience to be moved and inspired.

Godly Creative Wisdom

The three wise men never went back to king Herod to tell him of the baby Jesus. Stirred by the Spirit of God, and discerning the heart of Herod, they worshiped the immortal baby king Jesus and disobeyed this mortal king, Herod. They went home by another way. Such is the calling of Godly Creative Wisdom. Beyond talent, creativity, and wisdom, we also must heed the very words of God -for the words of God alone are life-giving.

This is why we cannot live the life of a creative we are called to live and to honor God without listening to the Holy Spirit and being refreshed by the Holy Spirit daily.

He is our comforter and encourager. He reminds us of how profoundly we are loved by God. And the Holy Spirit enables us to have peace that passes understanding as well as discernment beyond our accumulated knowledge. This is why the life of a faithful creative is one of listening to the Holy Spirit while seeking to live and create artwork out of a life of creative wisdom.

So ponder the wise men this advent season, and ask God how you might grow in wisdom, creativity and sensitivity to God’s spirit in all situations. God is inviting you to grow closer to Him as you continue to engage your audience through creative wisdom.

Share in the comments how you would like to grow in wisdom, creativity and sensitivity to God’s spirit, we’d love to hear from you!

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Copyright © 2021 Joel & Michelle Pelsue. All Rights Reserved. Used with Permission.