I was directed by Pat's blog to another blog where I read a post on Thinking You're Naked and and then The Thing About Being Naked and I just have to repost something from his blog here because it resonated so much in me.
From Thinking You're Naked :
...I saw God ask a similar question in Genesis 3:11. To me, this is one of the saddest and most profoundly beautiful verses in the entire Bible. Adam and Eve have fallen. The apple is a core. The snake has spoken. The dream appears crushed. As they hide from God under clothes they've hastily sewn together, He appears and asks them a simple question:
"Who told you that you were naked?"
There is hurt in God's voice as He asks this question, but there is also a deep sadness, the sense of a father holding a daughter that has for the first time ever, wrapped herself in shame.
Who told you that you were not enough?
Who told you that I didn't love you?
Who told you that there was something outside of me you needed?
Who told you that you were ugly?
Who told you that your dream was foolish?
Who told you that you would never have a child?
Who told you that you would never be a father?
Who told you that you weren't a good mother?
Who told you that without a job you aren't worth anything?
Who told you that you'll never know love again?
Who told you that this was all there is?
Who told you that you were naked?
I don't know when you discovered shame. I don’t know when you discovered that there werepeople that might think you are silly or dumb or not a good writer or a husband or a friend. I don't know what lies you've been told by other people or maybe even by yourself.
But in response to what you are hearing from everyone else, God is still asking the question, "Who told you that you were naked?"
And He's still asking us that question because we are not.
In Christ we are not worthless.
In Christ we are not hopeless.
In Christ we are not dumb or ugly or forgotten.
In Christ we are not naked....
And then from The Thing About Being Naked :
One of things that helped clarify this for me was a book called "The War of Art " by Steven Pressfield. Here is something he wrote about the artist's life.
The Artist’s Life
Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace? In the end the question can only be answered by action.
Do it or don’t do it.
It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don’t do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet.
You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.
Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It’s a gift to the world and every being in it. Don’t cheat us of your contribution.
Give us what you’ve got.
It's time for you and me to give the world what we've got. To nudge the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God. I don't know what that looks like for you, but for me, it means letting go of my fears of failure or success and leaning into God as hard as I can with this adventure.
And all I have to say right now is eeeeeeeyowwwwwwww!
Update
1 year ago
3 comments:
Crivens.
I didn't need that today...
Well, I probably did, which is probably why it hurts so fiercely.
Let us all take this to heart.
Wow. Yeah, that pierces pretty deep.
Having said that, it's a wonderful strike back against that nagging little voice that tells me my comics are pointless, trivial things, and to be a REAL Christian I should go work on a farm in a third-world country or something. It's good to be reminded that I have something that God made me uniquely suited to do.
Those both were really good posts, and Marilyn If you missed It I suggest going back to the blog and reading about the Pot Luck Etiquette,..Funny funny.
Devin, Is that nagging little voice me? Heh eheh aheah-hehm.
I like the feel of what was being said in "The artist's life".
It seemed mostly to ring true but I feel it leaves too broad a stroke for us to play in. Just because you have a God given talent doesn't mean ANY use of it is a blessing upon the sweaty masses.
Art would seem to fall into the biblical category of works. and either be
a)Good, and perhaps worshipful. Beneficial to the audience and artist, giving Glory to God.
b)Neither good or bad, but eternally having no perseverance. Ultimately getting burned up (whats that verse? Corinthians something?).
c)Sinful, leading people away from God, causing them to lust, covet, worship false idols. etc.
I fear, Devin that in the visual medium we work in it will be hard enough to stay in category B. I have only done a few things that were category A and if I could make a living at it, I would.
I don't know....Am I'm being overly pessimistic?