Creativity is Messy

Seth Godin blogged this morning that those who do not meet expected standards, be them academic or behavioral, receive most of our attention. It is easy to unconsciously reward the child or employee who just sits there being neither creative nor disruptive. 

It is much easier to manage these people than encouraging, teaching and affirming creativity. 

That's because creativity is hard. Not because it involves more work. But because creativity is messy. Institutions, be them schools, corporations or countries, don't like messes.

And kids are messy. Add just a touch of Gospel to those messy kids and you're sure to headed for a world class mess.

Jesus created a world class mess. Just a handful of his messy students changed the world. Our young disciples can too. If we let them.

Effective teachers, ministers and parents have a high tolerance for messiness--be them dirty diapers or daily drama. They can hold others imperfections and brokenness because they've practiced first on themselves. 

The really Good News is that God not only tolerates our messiness, but uses it, works through it and sanctifies it.

If we let him. 

Will you?

Comments

[Leisa A. Hammett]

Nice post. Found you via Susan Gregg Gilmore's blog. Might I qualify that I've known ministers who could deal with the messes and others, plenty of others, who could not....The ones who are fleshed out and authentic via their own messes of Life seem to deal best. At least to me...and how I "judge" it....