Capturing the Creativity of Our Creator

Creativity in all its forms points us to our creator.

By ValeriE Scott, Perimeter School Drama Director

Tonight, I will drive to a nearby high school to see some of our former students perform in their spring musical. Why have I been doing this for over thirty years? Because we are made in the image of our Creator, which includes His limitless creativity. As these students take to the stage, they live out that attribute of their Creator, whether or not they know Him personally.

Art has value because it is part of who He is, and creativity in all its forms (visual arts, drama, writing, building computer programs, speaking, appreciating beauty, etc.) points us to Him.

HOW GOD USES Theater IN THE LIVES OF STUDENTS

How do I see this displayed in the students we teach and watch perform? Most of these students will not pursue theater as a career, yet through drama and the arts, they learn that the process is often is as important as the product. Students who have been in the arts score higher on standardized tests, have larger vocabularies, learn to work cooperatively with others, learn how to encourage one another, and learn the difference between laughing at someone (which breaks others down) and laughing with one another. In short, they learn to respect one another. 

A drama class or a cast and crew become a family. They laugh with one another and cry with one another. They learn how to pull together and overcome obstacles. They learn to persevere and be stretched out of their comfort zones, and they learn self-confidence.

Art finds a place for the child with learning disabilities, the child who is the socially awkward, and the child who lives outside the box, and it teaches him or her the joy of a hard-fought job well done.  

I think of 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no one look down on you because of your youth.” God values young people and takes pride in the use of their gifts and talents. 

HOW GOD USES theater IN THE LIVES OF THE AUDIENCE

It brings tears to my eyes to remember the day that a death occurred in one of our school families. Our cast had a performance the evening that they heard the news, and the entire middle school was understandably emotional. 

It was windy and storming outside, so we took the entire cast and crew up to the top of the Perimeter Church tower to experience the storm. We felt the power of God in that storm. In the wind and rain, the students experienced a fraction of the power of God. I doubt that cast will ever forget that God was in that storm and in the emotional storm battling in the hearts of the school. 

We were performing a light-hearted musical that year with no deep message, but God used our students that day. They were able to give broken-hearted people something to laugh about for a few hours. We all learned that sometimes God uses “just entertainment” to bring joy in times of sorrow.

Theater allows us to step outside of ourselves for a bit, just as a good book or movie does. Sometimes we learn a lesson. Sometimes we journey to a new place. Sometimes we laugh. Sometimes we cry. Each time, we experience the creativity of our God displayed through the gifts and talents of all those involved in the production. 

Perimeter School Drama is thrilled to present “Getting to Know Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma!” this Thursday, March 7th at 4:00 PM and Friday, March 8th at 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM in the Main Sanctuary of Perimeter Church. Come see the creativity of our Creator displayed in the gifts and talents of the cast and crew. Click here for more information.