Impulse

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s word: ‘Impulse’ as in… the creative spark within each of us, has a source that comes from outside us.

Rummaging through old boxes of family memorabilia, we inevitably run across works of art from days gone by. The handprint turned into a turkey, the red Valentine’s Day hearts accompanying a handwritten poem, each treasure speaking volumes of love and making us wonder,” where did that creative impulse come from?

We might also ask, “where did it go?”

There comes a time when we must reclaim our creative impulse. In the ancient book of Psalms, buried deeply in the Hebrew scriptures, the writer uses the language of the moment of creation to connect us with the Source of all created things. Our dear, late friend Eugene Peterson translated part of Psalm 139 this way…

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! You know me inside and out; you know every bone in my body; you know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.”

In this ancient poem, we find the image of a Creator, gathering elemental particles of the creation and holding them all together, holding us all together, cradling, shaping, molding, and breathing into us. Breathing the oxygen of creative life into us. And as the Creator breathes life and aliveness into dust and dirt, we, all of us dirt creatures, become animated, enthused, and inspired by the breath and creativity of God. And at that moment, we are filled with a generative impulse that begins in the first moments of creation and continues with each breath we receive.

And it is through that ongoing, generative impulse that we continue to participate in the ongoing recreation of the world.

Two Thriving Questions:

++ How do you understand your “creative impulse?”

++ How does knowing that the creative impulse within you has a source beyond you help you thrive? Or not?

#100days50words

#Thriv’ëra

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or his blog, Thriving Rhythms.