Paper Snowflakes

I love to spend time making things. There is just something about creating anything at all that makes me feel at home. I would high-pitched-squeal anytime I found a "free magazines" pile outside a strangers dorm room in college because it meant hours of tearing out pages and cutting up pieces until I had transformed and re-arranged them into something of my own. What I got the biggest kick out of was making paper snowflakes. I don't necessarily remember what made me think of it the first time, but after I realized that my grown-up fine motor skills allowed me to make infinitely more amazing paper creations than my 7-year old self did, I couldn't get enough of the delicate little suckers.

I recently read a quote by author Kurt Vonnegut:

"Go into the arts. I'm not kidding... They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something."

I think Mr. Vonnegut is onto something. Creating is an enormous reward; it is something that flows through every human's veins. We are made in the image of the ultimate Creator- we can't help but have a desire to create. Whether it's crafting a delicious meal, a football playbook, a detailed spreadsheet, or a kind letter to a friend, we all identify with the reward that comes from putting our talents and interests into producing something unique. Creating is fulfilling because it's a native element of our being.

We love the things that we create. We are proud of them. We want others to notice that we did such a good job.

Can you image how God feels when he looks at you? He loves you. He is proud of you. He wants others to notice what a goo job he did creating you. The Creator of the universe is crazy about you. Dear reader, I hope you know what a work of art you are!