The Creator

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

John 1:3

The scriptures teach that Jesus Christ created the heavens and the earth under the direction of the Father. “Worlds without number have I created,” God told Moses, “…and by the Son I created them” (Moses 1:33).

Multiple Book of Mormon prophets highlighted this attribute of the Savior. For example:

• The prophet Jacob referred to Jesus as “the great Creator” and “the all-powerful Creator of heaven and earth.” (See 2 Nephi 9:5-6, Jacob 2:5, Jacob 3:7.)
• More than a hundred years before Jesus was born, an angel told King Benjamin that He would be known as “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning” (Mosiah 3:8).
• When Samuel the Lamanite preached on the walls of Zarahemla just five years before the coming of Christ, he used the same sequence of titles to describe Him. (See Helaman 14:12.)

If creation is an important part of the Savior’s mission, then those of us who seek to emulate Him ought to also participate in creative activities.

Years ago, while on vacation with his family in Hawaii, President Henry B. Eyring took up painting. He had hurt his back and needed something to do while his boys were surfing. Since that time, he has completed more than 1,000 watercolor paintings. Here’s how he described his experience:

I felt the love of a Creator who expects His children to become like Him—to create and to build.

Laura Allred Hurtado, “Nostalgia, Memories, and Feelings: Looking Back through the Artwork of President Henry B. Eyring,” history.churchofjesuschrist.org, 1 November 2018

Creativity requires us to step outside of our comfort zone, but the outcome doesn’t have to be earth-shattering. As Richard G. Scott taught, even simple efforts can be rewarding:

Attempt to be creative, even if the results are modest. … Creativity can engender a spirit of gratitude for life and for what the Lord has woven into your being. … If you choose wisely, it doesn’t have to absorb a lot of time.

 Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy (2007), 162–63, quoted in Gerrit W. Gong, “Our Campfire of Faith,” General Conference, October 2018

Today, I will be grateful for a God who creates. I will honor Him by engaging in creative activities.