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"I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man."
Ecclesiastes 3:10-13  I was so sure that the Lord allowed me to leave my current job.
I had been praying for this since last year. When the Lord called Abram to depart his country as He instructed (Genesis 12:4), I took this as a go signal. Prior to the interview for my target new job, my quiet time was about the story of Eleizer. He was asking the Lord success for his mission in getting wife for his master's son, Isaac. The prayer of Eliezer was exactly my prayer! (Genesis 24:12). I passed the initial interview and was scheduled for final. The day of my final interview came and the Lord encouraged me through the story of Ruth thanking Boaz so much for the favor she is receiving from him (Ruth 2:10). So I was confident since "favor" is the exact word in my prayer. Waiting time came and I kept holding on to His words. There are lot of verses and bible stories in my quiet time that continued to encouraged me like Matthew 8:5-13, Matthew 9:29.
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"When I told my story, you responded; train me well in your deep wisdom. Help me understand these things inside and out so I can ponder your miracle-wonders."
Psalm 119:26-27 MSG  We live in a world that defines wisdom by how much knowledge we acquire and how we use it, as the Body of Christ, we have sometimes adopted this definition as well, but I would like to challenge that. The wisdom of God goes much deeper to the heart and spirit allowing us to express the creative side of God within us which brings practical solutions to questions and concerns we encounter on a day to day basis.
I have found this to be true for my life. When I tell my story, to GOD, He responds, and he begins this amazing thing, he trains me in the knowledge of what deep wisdom actually is and as time moves I begin to understand not only myself, but the miraculous wonder of transformation. "Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy!"
Psalm 126:5 ESV  I wish I had a better way to describe what 2018 looked like for me other than The Year of Tears. Let me also quickly tell you that it was THE MOST beautiful year + I would gladly shed every one of those tears again + again. This blessed year was all about being remolded, remade + renewed in the most divine ways + that evolution created tears, lots of them! They have been the most soul-nourishing tears I have ever shed!
It’s very difficult to pinpoint exactly when this transformational period really took root. Initially it started in the summer of 2017 with my oldest son, Nate, telling us he didn’t want to miss church anymore. You see, we were just casual church-goers, well intended but non-committal as all get out! Later that fall, after attending weekly as a family, my emotions really began to stir during worship + I was increasingly moved by the carefully crafted message my pastor delivered each week. I was changing, it was slow change but, an opening was being created. Then, one night in October, I ended up at a church event that changed my heart + life forever. "Set your gaze on the path before you. With fixed purpose, looking straight ahead, ignore life’s distractions. Watch where you’re going! Stick to the path of truth, and the road will be safe and smooth before you. Don’t allow yourself to be sidetracked for even a moment or take the detour that leads to darkness."
Proverbs 4:25-27 TPT  As a creative, and having such a visual and open display of your gifts can be a very vulnerable place. Most creatives I know have had to learn to share their artwork, to be okay with pricing their artwork and even be open to questions or critiquing of their artwork. I know from personal experience, that when you feel deeply about what you have put together with your hands, there is a huge space that can be filled with the opposite to who God created us to be. It can be filled with fear, dread, fear of failure, fear of succeeding, fear of man, etc.
I heard something recently that brought all this to mind really strongly and have had to address some things I didn't even realize were there. Do you think about what someone might not like about your work, or your style or whether or not it will even sell? These are huge reasons that have stopped many creatives in their tracks and can cause us to procrastinate into our calling, into prospering with the very gift that God has given us. |
AuthorsHere you will find a mix of encouraging and inspirational articles written from members within the Community of Christian Creatives. Archives
September 2021
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