"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.'" — Genesis 1:26-28 (ESV)
I used to think creativity was a nice hobby—something I did when I had extra time, after the "real" work was finished. Writing stories felt selfish, like I was indulging in make-believe when I should be doing something more productive, more holy, or more important.
Then I discovered something that changed everything: creativity isn't a bonus feature God added to some people. It's not a side gift for the artistically inclined. Creativity is literally part of our spiritual DNA.
We are made in the image of the Creator God.
Let that sink in for a moment. The very first thing Scripture tells us about God is that He creates. Before we learn that He loves, provides, or saves, we learn that He creates. And then, in the most important moment of the creation story, God says, "Let Us make mankind in Our image."
Your creative impulse isn't an accident. It's an inheritance.
The Creative DNA We All Carry
When I first started taking my writing seriously, I struggled with guilt. Was this really what God wanted me to do with my time? Shouldn't I be serving in more traditional ways—volunteering at church, doing "ministry" work?
But Genesis 1:26-28 reveals something profound: being made in God's image means we carry His creative nature within us. Every time you craft a sentence, develop a character, or shape a story, you're expressing something fundamental about who you are as an image bearer.
Think about it: God spoke worlds into existence. He designed galaxies and hummingbirds, mountains and microscopic cells. He created with intentionality, beauty, and purpose. When we create—whether through words, music, visual art, or any other medium—we're reflecting His nature back to the world.
This isn't about being God or thinking we're divine. It's about recognizing that our creative impulses come from somewhere sacred. They're not random neurons firing or mere self-expression. They're the image of God manifesting in human form.
What It Means to Have Creative DNA
As I've grown in my understanding of creativity as spiritual inheritance, I've noticed three key aspects of what it means to carry God's creative DNA:
1. We Create With Intention and Beauty
God spoke light into darkness, bringing order, beauty, and purpose to creation. While we can't create ex nihilo—from nothing—like God does, we reflect His creative nature by taking the raw materials He's given us and crafting something meaningful from them.
When we sit down with a blank page, we're working with the gifts of language, experience, imagination, and story that God has provided. We take these building blocks and arrange them with intention, creating narratives that didn't exist before. Every story begins with potential—the empty page, the undefined idea, the character waiting to be developed. Through careful craft and inspiration, we shape these elements into something beautiful. This is image-bearing work.
2. We Create With Purpose
God didn't create randomly or carelessly. Every aspect of creation serves a purpose and fits into the larger story He's telling. Similarly, our creative work—even fiction, even fantasy—serves purposes we may not fully understand.
Your contemporary romance novel about second chances? It might help someone believe in redemption. Your cozy mystery set in a small town? It could remind readers of the value of community. Your fantasy adventure? It might give a young person hope that ordinary heroes can do extraordinary things.
We don't always know how God will use our creative work, but we can trust that stories crafted with love and intention carry kingdom purposes.
3. We Create in Community
Notice that Genesis says, "Let Us make mankind in Our image." The Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—created in community. We're designed to create in community, too.
This is why writing can feel isolating when we try to do it alone and why we flourish when we connect with other writers. We need the encouragement, the feedback, and the shared understanding that come from fellow image bearers who understand the creative calling.
Even when we write in solitude, we're drawing from the collective wisdom of mentors, the inspiration of authors who've gone before us, and the anticipated connection with future readers. Our individual creative acts are part of a larger tapestry of human creativity that spans generations and cultures.
The Stewardship of Creative Gifts
Understanding creativity as inheritance leads naturally to understanding it as stewardship. If our creative abilities come from God, then we're responsible for how we use them.
This doesn't mean every story has to be explicitly Christian or every creative work has to contain a sermon (ideally, it shouldn't unless you are a pastor or teacher aiming to write a sermon). It means we approach our creativity with the same care and intentionality we'd bring to any other gift God has entrusted to us.
For me, this looks like:
Honoring the craft. I study writing, learn from other authors, and work to improve my skills. Stewardship means not being lazy with my gift.
Writing with integrity. I craft stories that align with my values, create characters who reflect the complexity and dignity of real people, and tell stories that add beauty to the world rather than cynicism.
Using creativity to serve others. My stories aren't just about self-expression—they're about connecting with readers, offering hope, exploring truth, and sometimes simply providing clean entertainment in a world that desperately needs it.
Creating space for rest and renewal. Stewardship also means recognizing that creativity requires seasons of filling and emptying, working and resting. I can't pour from an empty well indefinitely.
Living as Creative Image Bearers
Here's what I wish someone had told me when I first started writing: your creativity isn't competing with your faith. It's an expression of it.
When you craft a beautiful sentence, you're reflecting God's love for beauty. When you develop a complex character, you're acknowledging the complexity and worth of human beings. When you tell a story of redemption, hope, or transformation, you're participating in the greatest story ever told.
The world needs Christian creatives who understand their calling not as a hobby or side hustle but as a fundamental expression of what it means to be made in God's image. We need writers who bring both excellence and integrity to their craft, who create stories that honor the complexity of human experience while pointing toward hope.
Your creativity isn't an accident or an indulgence. It's part of how you were designed to reflect God's nature to the world. The stories you tell, the beauty you create, the truth you explore through your art—all of it matters because you matter. You're an image bearer, and image bearers create.
Questions for Reflection
As you consider your own creative calling this week, I encourage you to reflect on these questions:
How has viewing creativity as an inheritance rather than a hobby changed your perspective on your creative work?
In what ways do you see God's creative nature reflected in your own creative process?
How can you approach your creative gifts as a steward rather than an owner?
What would change if you truly believed that your creativity is part of how you're designed to reflect God's image?
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