Creativity

Human creativity came to us as a gift from our Creator. All human creativity and innovation comes from His hand. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). God created the world in six days then He rested. He made us in His image and likeness, that includes giving us the ability to be creative. An excellent example of human creativity is found in George Washington Carver. He was one of the 20th century's greatest scientists, George Washington Carver's influence is still being felt today. As a committed Christian he asked the Lord to help him discover God's purposes for the simplest of plant life. He focused his work on peanuts, sweet potatoes, and pecans trying to produce new products. He developed more than 300 products from the peanut (including Peanut Butter), 175 from the sweet potato, and 60 from the pecan. He extracted blue, purple, and red pigments from the clay soil of Alabama. He researched the manufacture of synthetic marble from green wood shavings, rope from cornstalk fibers, and veneers from the palmetto root. During WWI, he worked to replace the textile dyes that were being imported from Europe. He ended up producing and replacing over 500 different shades. In 1927, he invented a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans. He is best know for developing crop-rotation methods for conserving nutrients in soil and discovering hundreds of new uses for crops such as the peanut Although he did hold three patents, Carver never patented most of the many his discoveries. He said "God gave them to me, how can I sell them to someone else?" If God has placed on idea in your heart to do, ask the Lord for His help in bringing it to reality. He desires to see His people create new things that can serve mankind and bring glory to God. Henry Ford once said, "Whether you think that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.