The Deeper Reason
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
Your creativity is reflected in what you do and how you do it. It’s one key reason I know you’re creative. But let’s not make that the main reason. It alone won’t sustain you.
What happens when what you’re doing no longer works—for you or for others? When your primary identity is rooted in doing, it will eventually become a source of stress or shame when someone else does it better, you can no longer go at the required pace, or you’re in a new season where those skills are no longer needed.
If you measure yourself by what you do, the only way to be more is to do more. That’s a toxic treadmill that will get you nowhere but exhausted. It keeps you running for external validation to prove that what you’re doing matters. That you matter. Applause can feel good, but it’s a sword that can cut both ways. Whatever you give the power to validate you also has the power to invalidate you.
Creating something new is a hard, risky, vulnerable endeavor. But we make it harder than it has to be when we look to others to validate or invalidate our work. Your creativity isn’t based on what you do. It is your birthright. It is who you are.
How do I know you’re creative? Because the Creator of everything created you in his image. His DNA courses through your veins. You reflect God’s glory, goodness, and creativity when you use your mind, hands, and heart to make something new, make something happen, or make things better. This happens in a myriad of ways—from your courage to speak up, show up, or come up with new ways to make things better.
If no one has ever told you that you’re creative, you are. If you thought you had to continually prove or earn your creativity, you don’t. If you wonder if you can make a difference, you can. This is incredible news. But it begs the question: What is getting in the way? Why is it so hard to make it through the day—much less make something worthwhile?
We’ll explore that next…by dropping in on a most unusual doctor’s visit.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God. Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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