This past week our family got to go to North Carolina Beach for a little R&R under the sun (well clouds mostly) and enjoy time with my sister's family and my folks. We only stayed a few days but that's enough to need a vacation from your vacation when you have small children to watch out for. One of the high lights of our trip however, was getting to watch a sea turtle hatching Friday night during the full moon at high tide. (The picture I've posted is a little deceiving since the hatchings don't usually happen during the day.)I suppose the theory is that between the moon light and the gravitational pull the little sea bound turtles just instinctively know where to go once they break out of their shells on the beach. No one knows exactly when the hatching will take place, roughly 58-59 days after they are laid, but avid nature lovers sit around the nest during the full moon, protecting it from ignorant pedestrians and waiting for the big event. We, on the other hand, had my dad call when the sand started to sink in so we could walk down. (You are supposed to be very still and quiet during this whole process and David Hyrum couldn't quite make the cut so Zach had to take him back early.) Gabe however wanted to stay and so we sat for an hour waiting for the sinking sand to become emerging baby turtles. As requested, he was very quiet and respectful during the hatching despite the multitude of sea fleas that were out for the kill. This is the second time I've been able to watch a hatching and you can't help but feel like its a little miracle that you are watching, much like when someone gives birth.
This got me thinking about creating. Watching some of Heavenly Father's creations in progress has a neat way of leading us to reflect on that aspect of His eternal nature. I was reading a talk by Elder Oaks that lent itself to my musings:
Brigham Young gave us some practical advice on how to do this. “The
difference between God and the Devil,” he said, “is that God creates and
organizes, while the whole study of the Devil is to destroy” (Discourses of
Brigham Young, p. 69).Remember, our Savior, Jesus Christ, always builds us up
and never tears us down. We should apply the power of that example in the ways
we use our time, including our recreation and diversions... During my lifetime
I have seen a strong trend to displace what builds up and dignifies the
children of God with portrayals and performances that are depressing,
demeaning, and destructive.
The powerful idea in this example is that whatever builds people up serves the
cause of the Master, and whatever tears people down serves the cause of the
adversary.
Dallin H. Oaks, “Powerful Ideas,” Ensign, Nov 1995, 25
Some other choice gems I've come across:
Heavenly Father... is a God of creation and compassion. Creating and being compassionate are two objectives that contribute to our Heavenly Father’s perfect happiness. Creating and being compassionate are two activities that we as His spirit children can and should emulate.
The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.
Everyone can create. You don’t need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty.
Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty—and I am not talking about the process of cleaning the rooms of your teenage children.
You might say, “I’m not the creative type. When I sing, I’m always half a tone above or below the note. I cannot draw a line without a ruler. And the only practical use for my homemade bread is as a paperweight or as a doorstop.”
If that is how you feel, think again, and remember that you are spirit daughters of the most creative Being in the universe. Isn’t it remarkable to think that your very spirits are fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God? Think about it—your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination. But to what end were we created? We were created with the express purpose and potential of experiencing a fullness of joy.4 Our birthright—and the purpose of our great voyage on this earth—is to seek and experience eternal happiness. One of the ways we find this is by creating things.
If you are a mother, you participate with God in His work of creation—not only by providing physical bodies for your children but also by teaching and nurturing them. If you are not a mother now, the creative talents you develop will prepare you for that day, in this life or the next.
You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter.
What you create doesn’t have to be perfect. So what if the eggs are greasy or the toast is burned? Don’t let fear of failure discourage you. Don’t let the voice of critics paralyze you—whether that voice comes from the outside or the inside.
If you still feel incapable of creating, start small. Try to see how many smiles you can create, write a letter of appreciation, learn a new skill, identify a space and beautify it.
The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create.
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Happiness, Your Heritage,” Liahona, Nov 2008, 117–20
So what are we waiting for?
