It wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who knows me that designing and writing are two of my favourite things to do. It is what brings me absolute pleasure, and my go-to when I feel stressed and need to unwind. I didn’t always consider them my pastimes even though I sketched cartoon characters as a young girl, and I wrote out short stories on the back of my notebooks as a schoolgirl, hoping they’d be good enough to get published someday. Childhood fantasy/madness?
Anyways, fast forward to 2020, my love for graphic design
took root, I think it was the cure to the anxiety that the first COVID-19 lockdown
tried to bring my way. I explored and experimented on every design app I could
find. I started taking pictures of random things (lots of zoomed in shots of
flowers and butterflies in my garden!) and tried redesigning them. Looking at
those old ridiculous pictures make me super grateful for how far I have come
and grateful to those folks on YouTube who ensure you will always find a video that
will encourage you or show you how to unlock hidden talents when you find
yourself stuck. I absolutely enjoy what I do now, and I also owe it to Canva as
I think it is the best design app you can find. Yes, I said what I said!
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Now as one who is constantly held spellbound by the wondrous creativity of God, I wondered what the bible had recorded about the gift of creativity that some of us must have been gifted by God. Talents are different even when it comes to designing so I never rate any one higher than the other. I am one of one and so are you. It is just like music, voices sound different and whilst a song will fill your heart with absolute joy, that same song might just put someone else off. Beauty, also they say, is in the eye of the beholder. So if what you design bring joy to just one person, then be rest assured in your soul that your creativity is valid and valued.
So, I wanted to share some bible verses that I hope will
assure you of your gift and will encourage you to keep going and to keep
getting better:
1.
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in
them. (Ephesians 2:10 ESV)
2.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and
the earth. (Genesis 1:1 ESV)
3.
Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will
stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men. (Proverbs 22:29 ESV)
4.
He has filled them with skill to do every sort
of work done by an engraver or by a designer or by an embroiderer in blue and
purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, or by a weaver—by any sort of
workman or skilled designer. (Exodus 35:35 ESV)
5.
And He has filled him with the Spirit of God,
with skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship, to
devise artistic designs, to work in gold and silver and bronze, (Exodus
35:31-32 ESV)
6.
Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom
have you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. (Psalm 104:24 ESV)
7.
Having gifts that differ according to the grace
given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; (Romans
12:6 ESV)
8.
The Lord said to Moses, “See, I have called by
name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and I have
filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with
knowledge and all craftsmanship, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold,
silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, to work
in every craft.... (Exodus 31:1-6 ESV)
9.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and
the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face
of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. An
d God saw that the
light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the
light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there
was morning, the first day.... (Genesis 1:1-31 ESV)
10. But
now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we
are all the work of your hand. (Isaiah 64:8 ESV)
11. I
praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;
my soul knows it very well. (Psalm 139:14 ESV)
12. For
behold, He who forms the mountains and creates the wind, and declares to man
what is His thought, who makes the morning darkness, and treads on the heights
of the earth— the Lord, the God of hosts, is His name! (Amos 4:13 ESV)
13. 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.” (Genesis 1:26 ESV)
14. All
things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was
made. (John 1:3 ESV)
15. You
have an abundance of workmen: stonecutters, masons, carpenters, and all kinds
of craftsmen without number, skilled in working gold, silver, bronze, and iron.
Arise and work! The Lord be with you!” (1 Chronicles 22:15-16 ESV)
16. Whatever
you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the
Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord
Christ. (Colossians 3:23-24 ESV)
17. For
you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. (Psalm
139:13 ESV)
18. By
faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that
what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:3 ESV)
19. So,
God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with
which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird
according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:21 ESV)
20. I
can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13 ESV)
Yes, we can. So keep learning, keep getting better. You got this!
All my love
Ige.x