What My Fish Tank Taught Me About Creating With the Creator
I love the fish tank hobby.
It’s one of the few parts of my life that isn’t tied to work, ministry, or obligation. No deadlines. No expectations. No pressure to produce something “useful.”
It’s simply creating.
I get to design a little underwater world—plants, rocks, driftwood, fish—and watch it come alive. And every time, it reminds me of something deeper: we were made to create. Because when I create, I’m reflecting the image of the God who first created.
Made in the Image of the Creator
Genesis 1 says we were created in God’s image. That doesn’t just mean we look like Him—it means we carry His nature.
And His nature? Creative.
“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
—Genesis 1:1
The very first thing we learn about God is that He’s a Creator. Before He’s introduced as a King, a Judge, or a Father—He’s a Maker. He takes chaos and forms order. He takes void and fills it with life.
So when I shape a tank, balance the water, and fill it with color and movement—it’s a small echo of Genesis. A reflection of His image in me.
Creating Isn’t Just Practical—It’s Worship
In our world, we tend to only value what’s “productive.” If it doesn’t make money, fix a problem, or move the mission forward, it feels like wasted time.
But God didn’t make creation just for function. He made it for beauty.
The oceans didn’t have to have clownfish. The sky didn’t have to explode in sunsets. Zebras didn’t have to wear stripes.
He made them because He delights in beauty.
And when we create beauty—whether it’s a tank, a painting, a song, a garden, or a meal—we’re joining Him in that delight. Creation itself becomes worship.
Wonder in the Small Things
Here’s what I love most about aquariums: they restore wonder.
Sit in front of a tank long enough, and the noise of life slows down. The critic in your head goes quiet. You start to notice little details: the way a fish darts, the way plants sway in the current, the glow of life behind glass.
And in that stillness, you feel it: the whisper of the Creator who filled the oceans and still fills our lives.
“For His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what He has made.”
—Romans 1:20
Let’s Break the Mold
In a world obsessed with hustle, stopping to create something just for the joy of it breaks the mold.
In a culture that values production, creating for beauty is rebellion. And in a faith that sometimes forgets wonder, joining the Creator in His creativity is revival.
So maybe you don’t build aquariums. But maybe you need to create something.
Paint. Write. Build. Plant. Sing. Shape. Dream.
Not for results. Not for approval. Not for productivity. But because you were made in the image of a Creator—and when you create, you find Him.
Reflection:
Where could you step back into creativity—not for function, but for wonder?
Ask the Lord to remind you of what it feels like to create with Him again.
break the mold 
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