This is such an important issue for all of us. I’ve seen people’s countenance totally change as they speak about their passion, whatever it is. I’m not doing mine, and I am sad and lonely a lot…and I have a husband and 3 kids! I know that I know I have a creative spirit and have neglected it to a certain extent. Maybe it’s timing/seasons in life.
I guess if we can start where we are, knowing that God does not take back our gifts, that He will guide us into the path for us…no matter what it is or when it is! God needs His people in all areas to reach out in love to all, in all kinds of ways.
When our twins were little, this was one of my favorite Psalms, especially the parts I put in boldface:
Psalm 126
*When the Lord delivered Zion from bondage,
it seemed like a dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter,
on our lips there were songs.
The heathens themselves said: “What marvels
the Lord worked for them!”
What marvels the Lord worked for us!
Indeed we were glad.
Deliver us, O Lord, from our bondage
as streams in dry land.
Those who are sowing in tears
will sing when they reap.
They go out, they go out, full of tears,
carrying seed for the sowing:
they come back, they come back, full of song,
carrying their sheaves*
I also had this on my big bathroom mirror, in about 48 pt. type (so I’d see it when I was breezing through):
If the LORD were not my help,
I would long have been silent in the grave.
When I say, “My foot is slipping,”
your love, LORD, holds me up.
When cares increase within me,
your comfort gives me joy.
Psalm 94:17-19
Actually, I’d say that the Psalms are a good place to hang out generally, when times are hard, and particularly when they are slogging hard. Maybe that is why the days of the Benedictines revolve around them. I live to think of our home as my bit of cloister. So there is this one, too:
“Stay in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.”
the-tidings.com/2008/051608/rolheiser.htm
In contrast, another of the Fathers, Abba Isaiah said, “A beginner who goes from one monastery to another is like an animal who jumps this way and that, for fear of the halter.”
But yes, I find I have to put some creativity into my life, or I get heartsick. If you are a hound, you can do without hunting for a time, but you still have to get out and run once in awhile. Also, if you are still looking for your cell, your heart is going to be a bit restless until you find it. You can offer the restlessness to the Lord, and be patient, but you’ll feel it until you find the place you belong. I don’t think that discomfort is a spiritual fault. It is what keeps the journey going, it keeps you going through what you have to learn on the way, until you reach the place God means you to go. Otherwise, we might get complacent and quit before we get there.
So what’s the solution? Any ideas? 