Day 21 - the joy of creation
Well, it's been an embarrassingly long time since my last post, but for good reason... between having a baby and trying to give him all the attention he needs and deserves, a significant dose of chaos in our extended family, vacations, and a new job (plus trying to sleep a little more and work out occasionally), the blog simply hasn't been a priority. But I know from experience that the hardest part of these things is just starting, so, here we go.
Over the past several years, I've discovered I physically need to create. I used to think it was an obsession or a compulsion, but I'm beginning to believe it's actually an essential piece of who I am. I have believed for a long time that each person is a reflection of the God who made them (whether they acknowledge Him or not), revealing parts of His nature and character for their good and His glory. Some people are extraordinarily creative, some are inordinately wise, some have incredible strength. Together we make up a beautiful, if incomplete, picture of this great, incomprehensible, wonderful, awesome Supreme Being who is, Himself, all that is good. In the past two and half decades, I have learned that my need to create, though intense and overwhelming, is just a threadbare reflection of God's unspeakable love expressed in His acts of creation.
Making something has always held allure and excitement for me, from writing bible study materials and leadership training curriculum to blogging, from painting to pencil sketches; crocheting, knitting, and weaving, really every medium I have experimented with has held its own joy and richness for me. Recently, I have gotten back to painting (something I've done very little of since our son was born); for months, I have been crocheting critters for a friend's baby who was just born a few weeks ago; and yesterday I started the first true creative job I've ever held. I can't even express how thrilled and grateful I am to be in a position where I get to push myself creatively, be challenged beyond my comfort zone, and use the talents and skills God has put in me and enabled me to sharpen and steward for over a decade.
Like other things in my life, this is one that has taken a long time to move toward maturity. Reading the Bible in new seasons of life gives me fresh perspective on things - like this past year, I was encouraged, in the midst of the most profound discouragement I had ever experienced, that God often uses people in the 30-80 year old range to do incredible things that move the world toward His ultimate purposes (please note: God absolutely uses the very young and the very old and everyone in between, I was just struck by how many of the stories of the "heroes" of the Bible were middle to older adults). I don't know if my experience is common, but I have found it easy to be discouraged when my "youthful zeal" isn't well-received and others aren't as eager as I am for change or new ideas. Those certainly have value and an appropriate place, but I am realizing that humility really does come before honor and being slow to speak, quick to listen, and patient pays dividends that the younger hot-headed me could never have slowed down enough to appreciate (or earn).
Anyway, what I'm trying to say (I think) is that the joy of creation is, in some cases, enhanced by the time it takes to develop real maturity, whether that comes in the form of skill with a paintbrush, eloquent words, beautiful handiwork, or some other medium. The wait doesn't diminish the masterpiece, it perfects it.
Well, it's been an embarrassingly long time since my last post, but for good reason... between having a baby and trying to give him all the attention he needs and deserves, a significant dose of chaos in our extended family, vacations, and a new job (plus trying to sleep a little more and work out occasionally), the blog simply hasn't been a priority. But I know from experience that the hardest part of these things is just starting, so, here we go.
Over the past several years, I've discovered I physically need to create. I used to think it was an obsession or a compulsion, but I'm beginning to believe it's actually an essential piece of who I am. I have believed for a long time that each person is a reflection of the God who made them (whether they acknowledge Him or not), revealing parts of His nature and character for their good and His glory. Some people are extraordinarily creative, some are inordinately wise, some have incredible strength. Together we make up a beautiful, if incomplete, picture of this great, incomprehensible, wonderful, awesome Supreme Being who is, Himself, all that is good. In the past two and half decades, I have learned that my need to create, though intense and overwhelming, is just a threadbare reflection of God's unspeakable love expressed in His acts of creation.
Making something has always held allure and excitement for me, from writing bible study materials and leadership training curriculum to blogging, from painting to pencil sketches; crocheting, knitting, and weaving, really every medium I have experimented with has held its own joy and richness for me. Recently, I have gotten back to painting (something I've done very little of since our son was born); for months, I have been crocheting critters for a friend's baby who was just born a few weeks ago; and yesterday I started the first true creative job I've ever held. I can't even express how thrilled and grateful I am to be in a position where I get to push myself creatively, be challenged beyond my comfort zone, and use the talents and skills God has put in me and enabled me to sharpen and steward for over a decade.
Like other things in my life, this is one that has taken a long time to move toward maturity. Reading the Bible in new seasons of life gives me fresh perspective on things - like this past year, I was encouraged, in the midst of the most profound discouragement I had ever experienced, that God often uses people in the 30-80 year old range to do incredible things that move the world toward His ultimate purposes (please note: God absolutely uses the very young and the very old and everyone in between, I was just struck by how many of the stories of the "heroes" of the Bible were middle to older adults). I don't know if my experience is common, but I have found it easy to be discouraged when my "youthful zeal" isn't well-received and others aren't as eager as I am for change or new ideas. Those certainly have value and an appropriate place, but I am realizing that humility really does come before honor and being slow to speak, quick to listen, and patient pays dividends that the younger hot-headed me could never have slowed down enough to appreciate (or earn).
Anyway, what I'm trying to say (I think) is that the joy of creation is, in some cases, enhanced by the time it takes to develop real maturity, whether that comes in the form of skill with a paintbrush, eloquent words, beautiful handiwork, or some other medium. The wait doesn't diminish the masterpiece, it perfects it.
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