In His Image

Genesis 1: 26-27
Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground."  So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

For every work of creation is threefold, an earthly trinity to match the heavenly.
First, there is the Creative Idea, passionless, timeless, beholding the whole work complete at once, the end in the beginning:  and this is the image of the Father.
Second, there is the Creative Energy begotten of that idea, working in time from beginning to the end, with sweat and passion, being incarnate in the bonds of matter:  and this is the image of the Word.
Third, there is the Creative Power, the meaning of the work and its response in the lively soul:  and this is the image of the indwelling Spirit. 
~Dorothy L. Sayers - The Mind of the Maker


"Let us . . ."

Here in Genesis, at the beginning, the very beginning of all human life and consciousness, the Trinity is revealed.  And as I enter the final editing stages of the second novel in Adventures in The Glade, I cannot agree more with Dorothy Sayers' summation of the process.  I can only speak from a writer's perspective, though I would love hearing from those of you who create anything and everything from original art, music, recipes, clothing designs, you name it!

The Creative Idea:  When the idea for The Glade Series begins to gel in my mind, I know the whole story.  I know where I want to go with it and where I wish it to end.  My outline is etched in both head and heart.  Do I have every detail mapped out?  Not by a long shot!  That's where the second part of the earthly trinity comes into play.

The Creative Energy:  Sweat and passion?  Oh, dear Lord, how I can identify with these words!  While it is ever a joy to write, these novel encourage me to work harder at them than at anything else I have ever pursued in my life, and to work with an unbridled passion.  I want my words, more than anything, to reflect the inspiration I daily feel from God.  In this process, characters take unexpected shapes, and scenarios crop up which move the story along, but which I could never have predicted happening, and wouldn't have, if I only allowed the limits of my human brain to guide the tale.  I long for my words to speak for and attest to His Word.

The Creative Power:  It is when I write that I can say, unequivocally, I feel closest to God through His Holy Spirit.  I feel His presence moving through me and in me, inspiring, leading, guiding.  It is His energy that transforms would-be static characters into "lively soul(s)" dancing on the pages.  If I had ever harbored any doubts about the potency and authority of the third person of the Trinity, the act of writing has dispelled them all.

We are all made in the image and likeness of God.  And I believe we are never closer to Him, the Creator of all things, than when we're engaged in the creative process.

~

What is your take on the process of human creativity being threefold, "an earthly trinity to match the heavenly"?

Prayer:  Father, we thank You for every creative gift You have given us.  May we faithfully use those gifts to honor and glorify You, our Creator, Christ Jesus, the Word and our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit, our Guide and Comforter.  Amen.