Creating

For the past two weeks, I have been writing about the volunteer trip that I took to Ayacucho, Peru, in 2009. I had a particular inspiring thought to write about this weekend to tie into that trip. Then it dawned on me that I have a table at a craft show this weekend and I am going to peddle my blog site, along with my sewn creations. Perhaps, on the off chance that anyone who visited my craft booth actually goes to my blog when they get home, I should really get those creative juices flowing and tie this weekend’s inspiration to both Ayacucho and the craft show. So, here it goes.

Whenever anyone travels to a foreign country, the inclination is to go crazy buying souvenirs. I really tried to control myself when I was in Peru, but I kept thinking of people that I had to buy for or I would find something that was just too cute to pass up. To make the temptation even greater, every day, on our walk to the Plaza, we passed this great artisan’s market, and every day I had to go in and wander around some more.

This market was built inside the city’s old prison. Each of the cells was now a booth for a vendor. It was way cool; I wish I would have taken pictures of the inside instead of just the outside. Some of the homemade crafts were beautiful. There was lots of jewelry and tapestries and pottery, like the figurines from Quinua, and everything was reasonably price (hence further temptation to buy).

Most of these vendors make their living on whatever they can sell in the market. Unlike me, who just wants to sell my goods to break even and get it out of the house.

But I think we all have a compulsion to create, whether it is quilts or clothes or necklaces or stained glass or photographs or baked bread or casseroles. Even in our daily work we are creating, whether we are working in a factory making something tangible or we are offering our services. Doctors create good health, counselors create peace of mind, the cable guy creates good television reception, a stay-at-home mom creates a loving environment for her family.

Maybe this desire to create is because we are made in the image of the ultimate Creator. With loving hands, God made each of us out of nothing, so that we can create the work he has planned for us.

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 New International Version