By Rev. Chris Surber

Plato, the influential philosopher of ancient Greece, said, “The beginning is the most important part of the work.”

The mound of children’s toys, tools and Christmas decorations in my garage that I’ve planned to clean out a dozen times can attest to the truth of that. Everything we do has to have a start. Dreams come true, because someone had the courage to take the first step.

What must it have been like to be in the room as the sound echoed from the first keystroke of Johann Sebastian Bach? That was so long ago. Perhaps you can more easily imagine being in the audience of the New Jersey church where Whitney Houston grew up, hearing her first solo in the 1970s. Even the greats had beginnings. There has never been a peak climbed that did not begin with single step onto the mountain.

Even more so, nothing of any value has ever been accomplished that didn’t first begin with a decision to set out to do it. Do you realize that the very first words of the Bible are “in the beginning?” In Genesis 1:1 the Bible states, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1 NIV84) Even God purposed to do something and then did it. The fascinating thing is that God created us in His own image.

Having been created in God’s image is a fascinating biblical concept, packed with rich ideas. Not the least of those is that God has imparted to humanity a creative spirit, similar to His own.

Just like God, when we purpose to do something we have the creative ability to accomplish it, though we obviously have stricter limitations on what we can do.

What can we do with our creativeness within the limits of our God-defined abilities?

We can choose today to become who God has created us to be. There is no limitation on how much love we can show to those in our lives. There is no boundary on how passionately you or I can use our creative gifts to reshape our families, our churches and our communities into healing places where God’s creative power is abundant for any who seek it. The first step is the hardest, but we have the innate ability to take that step.

What is God calling you to create in and through your life today? Why are you waiting to start doing it? Circumstances are never perfect to start anything, but now is always a perfect time to start.

Dorothy Day, the American journalist, social activist, and devout Catholic said it this way: “God is our Creator. God made us in his image and likeness. Therefore we are creators … The joy of creative-ness should be ours.”

The Creator has made us creators. What is He calling you to create? Start today.

Chris Surber is pastor of Cypress Chapel Christian Church in Suffolk. Visit his website at www.chrissurber.com.