{Today’s post is from my friend Michelle Pendergrass. Michelle and I were roomies at last year’s Relevant Conference and we both know that God did that on purpose. She consistently challenges me to get outside of my Christian box and see the world through the eyes of an extremely creative God. I think you’ll love what she has to say and how the Lord has given her a unique and beautiful ministry of prayer.}
We were made in His Image. He created us to be creative.
Sometimes teaching my son how to be creative involves a lot more yelling and frustration than I care to admit.
Me: Turn off the TV and play something.
Zane: I don’t know what to play.
Me: Build something with Legos.
Zane: I did that already.
Me: Draw or something.
Zane: I don’t want to.
And so on. I don’t know if I’ll ever fully understand why I have to force creativity on the child. One of the mysteries of mothering a son I’m consistently confused and frustrated with. As I child, I was always drawing, painting by numbers, practicing my handwriting, coloring, stickering, doodling, and *doing* something artistic and creative. Is it a gender difference or a right brain/left brain difference between my son and I?
The only common ground I’ve found thus far is something I call Visual Prayer. Born out of failure to pray a task-like list of needs, and because I’m visual and tactile, Visual Prayer has been God’s way of meeting me in the middle. He knew I wanted desperately to pray, but He also understood that He created me a little different than some other prayer warriors. He took my messy hands and watched them cut images and words out of magazines and books, He gave me permission to use pages of His Word–torn and broken, like me–in my artwork. He let me slop and spill paint and glue. And He accepted my work, my creation, as worship.
One day, Zane (8 at the time, 11 now) asked what I was doing. I explained that sometimes Mommy didn’t have the words to pray, so she made pictures for God and He understood them.
And he created his first Visual Prayer.
Since then, we create Visual Prayer together. I feel like God, again met me in the middle of a frustrating situation. My heart was filled with grief and desire to see my son more creative. And God said, “Here ya go. Have at it!” My heart is now filled with love and admiration and overflowing with joy at how God answered prayer WITH (visual) prayer!
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Michelle Pendergrass is one of three instructors at the upcoming women’s retreat, Creative Soul: Worship Outside the Lines and would love to meet you there during a time of artful prayer and worship.
