Chaotic Creativity

I've often heard this expression in the church, "God is not a God of chaos but a God of order." It makes sense, my rebellious creativity side wrestles to embrace it and truthfully even though it sounds like a good solid notion, it held no weight in my life. It really didn't impact me at all....

Then out of nowhere like a voice in the darkness....

Light has started shining over this expression, and I am starting to see things in a new way.

I have recently read an article on depression, and how people with severe depressive/anxiety disorders often live in homes full of clutter and disorder. An extreme version of this would be people who are hoarders.

The article was speaking on ways to ease your depression by simplifying your living space and getting rid of the excess. Now I naturally tend towards mess and clutter. . . always have done so. But when I was struggling with depression it was far worse, and beyond that, the worse it got the more it depressed me but I simply didn't have the energy to deal with it.

Another area that was greatly effected was my creativity, it was near impossible to bring forth any creativity from this state. Which is ironic because I firmly believe that creativity is key in comforting and nurturing the soul and bringing forth healing to the soul. It was counter-productive really.

Then this weekend my brain started flitting across the beginning of it all....Genesis 1. . . and I realized that before God created, He first brought forth order. It was only from the place of order that He moved into creativity. I don't know why I hadn't seen it before.

Now this is still a thought forming, and definitely not a doctrine or firm opinion....but if you look at certain versions they lean towards this statement. . .

Genesis 1:1-2 in the living bible says it this way....
When God began creating[a] the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was[b] a shapeless, chaotic mass,* with the Spirit of God brooding over the dark vapors.*

and in the Jubilee bible it says [emphasis mine]

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2 And the earth was without order, and empty; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

The narrative in the Voice bible translation leading into Genesis one says such a beautiful thing.....
With the utterance of His voice, creation takes form, chaos yields to order, light eclipses darkness, and emptiness fills with life.

Perhaps God truly is, as the preachers keep saying, a God of order after all. Perhaps order truly is key in releasing creativity too. I always thought that order would cramp my creative style and put a restriction on the ability to flow. But the more I bring order not just into my life but into my living space, the more I see a surge in creative inspiration and the more I see a place to bring forth beauty, instead of my eyes constantly feasting on chaotic mess. And so strangely, for me, order seems to be taking me against what I had imagined. Instead of stifling my creativity, its releasing and fueling it.

Now never fear, I will never be obsessive compulsive minimalist type. I will always have a slightly messy nature, its part of me. . . but I am appreciating protecting my creative space, so that its pleasing to the soul, nurturing to the soul and restful. Let me know what you think about this theory...[no mom, that is not a licence to talk about fighting with me to clean my room as a child :) ]