Created to Create: Reflections on Art and Worship by Gabrielle Herron

February 22, 2017 by Zoe Herron

Editor’s Note: The following article is by junior Gabrielle Herron. Here, Gabrielle, a music major from Olympia, Washington, shares her experience as a worship leader, musician, and visual artist, and how her art enables her to glorify God on a profound level.

My whole life I have been creating different things.

Whether it be fumbling my way on the piano during lessons at a young age, or now starting to compose and write my own songs as a music major. Art is something that brings beauty and vibrancy to our lives, and our world would lack a sense of color, warmth, and passion without it. God made us to be creative, to make art as a way to express our feelings and to even provoke emotion through our creations.

Paintings shout at us.

Poetry speaks to us.

Music moves us.

Dance electrifies us. Art is something that allows us to be fully human, to be raw and real, and most of all it allows us to connect deeply with our Creator all while glorifying Him through it.

Over the course of my life, I’ve realized that worshiping God isn’t something that can only be done during a worship service at church—it expands way beyond that and into everything we do in God’s name. Every time I pick up a paintbrush I am creating in His name, and every time words from a song are on my lips I am singing in His name.

As Christians, we tend to put our ideas of worship into a box, and it isn’t something only done through songs, prayers, and other spiritual disciplines.

The way we simply live shows what we worship and where our hearts truly are.

Personally, I have come to realize that I feel closest to God when I am creating and making something, no matter what it may be. We were all created to create, and we are all amazing works of God’s hands. When I sing a song, write lyrics, or even paint something, I am doing it all to glorify God.

If my mindset is that I am creating in order to bring glory to Him, then I am worshiping God through my art, no matter what medium it is in. It makes me vulnerable since I am revealing a part of myself to this world, and it also makes me real and authentic. I am able to express my thoughts and feelings in my art, to show what I am passionate about—that is only possible because of Jesus.

Whether you’re a talented photographer, speaker, or even scientist, we all have the chance to use our gifts to glorify and worship God. He created us out of the dust, from literally nothing, and all because of Him we have the chance to create, make, or even design something that can draw others closer to Him.

No matter what it is, we all have the unique opportunity to give back to this world, to show others our art, and most of all help connect them deeper to our Heavenly Creator.