Day 14 of Lent - I Aspire to Inspire
The crave to make is wired into all 37 miles of nerves that branch through every part of our body from top to toe.
I aspire to inspire you to be more of the maker you are.
as·pire/əˈspī(ə)r/: Verb 1. Direct one's hopes or ambitions toward achieving something.
in·spire/inˈspī(ə)r/: Verb 1. Fill (someone) with the urge or ability to do or feel something, esp. to do something creative.
It is my dream and my ambition to fill you - yes, you personally and specifically - with the urge to do something creative, and to feel something sweet. If I can do that with excellence, I can die happy (someday) a long, long time from now.
Where does inspiration come from? Think about that, because it is a great question. The etymology of the word means to "breathe in Spirit". Obviously, I think in terms of Genesis, when God breathed into man's nostrils the breath of life, and he became...
Man became.
Before you can become anything - really become it - you have to be inspired. You must inhale the atmosphere of eternity. All inspiration comes from God. There are many avenues and means to be inspired, but the source is God, always.
You see, He does not grow weary because He does not grow bored. He is intensely interested in flowers, cooking, birds, motherhood, gardening, marriage, business, art, writing, and grand babies. He continues to maintain every created thing simply by the power of His word, and He delights in all of it, but most especially in the children of men.
If He were to take just a thimble-full of His passion for His creation, and pour it into your heart, you would be inspired to make for a lifetime.
About ten years ago, I asked Him if I can, please, be His thimble.
The rest is history. And present. And I prophesy that the rest is also the rest of my life.
Day 6 of Lent {...process > product...}
In art circles there is a popular hashtag: #doitfortheprocess
Do it for the process. Not the product.
I think this process-oriented mindset is such freedom for artists because it originated in the heart of the First Artist. God does everything for the process. I mean, consider it: Christ was the plan of God from before the foundation of the world.
“God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake.”
God waited a really long time to “get to the point”! Why?! Because He was painting a picture. All through creation, the Noahic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, and the Covenant of the Law, all the way up and until Christ, He was painting a picture.
And He is still painting pictures. He is still longsuffering, still delighting in process. Instead of fast forwarding all of human history to the end goal of a glorified Jesus, God is still relishing the details in His unfolding of His masterpiece!
My friend and fellow creative, He is pleased, fascinated, and gratified in the process He is using with you. How can I say that? How can I know?
Because the Lord binds Himself to His own word. We can take what we learn about His character and nature in the Scripture, put it through the lens of the New Covenant, and realize that He is the only being that is never bored, He is endlessly creating, doesn’t get frustrated with us when we don’t get it. If the Lord tells us to “count it all joy” when we encounter various troubles - how much more does He count it all joy in His process of loving His own?
It helps me to quietly meditate on the processes of God. The degree to which He involves Himself in a human life is beyond profound. He is perfectly patient, and He feels happy in the process, because He is patient (not the irritated kind of “patience-with-a-sigh”)…
…He is endlessly interested in the works of His hands, He knows the outcome, because it all is His artwork anyway. He began the masterpiece, He sustains it, He works on it throughout the course of our collective lifetimes, and He will complete it. He knows exactly what He is doing, and where He is going with all His designs.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below - does any of this feel like a challenge? Does it sort of “mess” with your church-y ideas of God? Have you known these things all along, and thus you’ve experienced great freedom in your processes?
It has taken time for me. I need to preach to my own soul, and right often, at that! So here I am, in the school of Christ. For me, it is both art school and seminary. I am in this school theologically, practically, relationally, and in my art practice. The goal is the learning…not a certain outcome. The goal is the learning to become as passionate about the process as Jesus is.
Because of this learning, this letting sound doctrine get tangled up with my practice of free-wheeling art, I can no longer put God in neat theological boxes labeled "judgement" and "mercy". Justice and Mercy hang out together. Righteousness and peace have kissed each other, you see. They’re close companions, if not lovers. Much in the same way, my Bible study and art have become much more than disinterested associates. They are much more than friends. They have this degree of intimacy. Now, each one defers safely to the other.