Created To Create

I’ve been thinking about the phrase toxic trait lately. You know - the kind you laugh about but quietly wonder if you should change or stop altogether. 

I’ve wondered why we even call them toxic traits. Are they actually bad? Or, maybe, are they simply the parts of us that haven’t yet been guided, surrendered, or put to good use.

Sitting with this made me look more closely at my own traits - specifically the ones that haven’t always been understood. Maybe you carry something like that too, something others have called “too much.”

My toxic trait, if I’m honest, is this: I see opportunity everywhere. I see something beautiful and think, I could make that. I see a gap or a problem and think, I could fix that.

Which sounds harmless - until it turns into three ideas, a new business, and a very late night. 😉 

I’ve joked with friends—and even made a few very sincere promises—that I wouldn’t start another business this year. And yet, the pull to create and build is always there. I’m a serial entrepreneur at heart, and for a long time I’ve wondered whether that instinct was something I needed to rein in—or something God placed in me on purpose.

Around Christmas, I asked a group of friends a simple question at a gathering:

When do you feel most like yourself - most alive, or most at peace?

When I sat with the question myself, the answer came more clearly than I expected.

I feel most like myself - most alive - when I’m creating.

Often that means making something with my hands, but not always.

For me, creating looks like bringing order where there’s been chaos. It looks like nurturing growth, building something that lasts, and seeing possibility where others might only see limitation.

Sometimes that creating is tangible - kneading bread, arranging flowers, half-finished sewing projects. Sometimes it’s quieter and harder to name. Often, it’s unfinished and imperfect.

The more I sat with this, the more I saw it echoed in scripture. The Proverbs 31 woman is praised for what she produces - but what strikes me most is what she builds. She makes clothing, yes - but she is also building a legacy. She creates a life marked by care, wisdom, and dignity. Her work is practical and deeply spiritual.

I'm realizing that my instinct to create mirrors God’s heart - not because everything I make is perfect, but because He is a God who brings order, beauty, and purpose where there once was none.

That reframed everything for me.

Maybe the parts of us others label as “too much” aren’t meant to be erased. Maybe they’re meant to be guided, surrendered, and put to good use. When our “toxic trait” is driven by striving, it exhausts us. But when it’s offered back to God, it becomes something else entirely - it becomes worship.

You may not create the way I do. Your creating might look like cultivating a peaceful home, showing up faithfully for people you love, building trust over time, or praying quietly when no one else sees. God uses willing hearts to build His kingdom in beautiful, creative ways.

I’m continuing to learn how to move a little slower. To notice what brings me life - and to offer it back to God without pressure to prove anything. To create with open hands, releasing the need for approval or understanding. To trust that true faithfulness matters more than what others think - or how quickly they’re tempted to label something a “toxic trait.”

I’m learning that this instinct of mine - to notice, dream, and want to build - isn’t accidental, and definitely not toxic. It’s part of how God wired me. And I’m staying open to whatever God is inviting me to create next.

A prayer I’m holding close:

Lord, thank You for making me in Your image.
Thank You for giving me the desire to create.
Help me use these gifts to bring beauty, life, and hope into the world.
Let my creativity honor You.
Amen.