“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God..” —Leo Buscaglia
Image courtesy of -Marcus- at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
When we learn a new technique or have a success in our creative work, it’s easy to believe it’s what we were called to do.
We need to stand just as confident when our work seems inferior or we’ve received a rejection.
12 Ways to Know Your Creative Work Is Your Gift
Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Talent from birth. Not necessarily good talent, but you’ve got passion. You never understood why you were punished for drawing on the wall.
Habit-forming. Highly effective or not, you resort to this creative gift when you handle problems.
Asked God, at least once, to take the frustrating passion away. And you were shocked when He did. For a season.
Noticed other people noticing your penchant for it. Your father demanded you become a math major to cure you of it. So you’d amount to something.
Keep on keeping on. It’s the one thing you persevere in. The one thing you quit your job for. Or almost quit your job for.
Sealed with it. If you listen to the small whispers, you’ll know God bestowed you with it to use for His service.
Gush to others about it. You talk about it with anyone who listens—or doesn’t. That’s why you go to conferences and bask in the wonderfulness that others want to talk about it too.
Interrupts everything. Your sleep, your dinner, your housework. Blast it all. You’d love to live in a clean house.
Voracious appetite for it. You feed on it. That’s why you often miss dinner.
Itch to get back to it. When the ideas are humming. Otherwise check your backyard for poison ivy.
No number of rejections can stop you. The toothpaste-spattered note on your bathroom mirror says, “Gone With the Wind was rejected 38 times, for Pete’s sake.”
Gifted in in your creative work makes sense when you look back over your life. It stuck with you in bad and good times. So, you might as well go forward and seek excellence in it.
Image courtesy of njaj at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Teaching, art, encouragement, writing, administration, speaking, giving, dancing, helping, drama… We use creativity in them all.
What gift are you grateful for this Thanksgiving Day?
RSS - Posts
I am thankful for you, and your creativity, as well as the organization you bring to it, like writing your blogs on a schedule ahead of time so you can post on a holiday, while you are enjoying your family. You inspire me to balance my creative desire with more structure so I can accomplish what I really feel called to.
I too am thankful for Zoe’s example.
Thanks Jane, for your kind words, and taking the time from family to write them. I’m blessed.
Psalm 23
Abundant provision
Guidance
Peace
Comfort
Protection from evil
Holy Spirit as a guarantee
A promise of life spent with Him now and forever.
He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul.
I am thankful for the Lord’s hand upon me.
Yes, Marcia, so blessed by God.
Wow, Zoe, I cried when I read the article “12 Ways to Know Your Creative Work is Your Gift”. It was exactly what I needed at this moment. I have asked God so many times to take away this need to write, but then I would stop and say, “If I don’t write, then what will I do?” I’m not a published writer, but I have lots of stories waiting to be finished in a file drawer. Whether I’m published or not I HAVE to keep writing. Thank you for such a timely and inspirational piece! Blessings to you, Anita
Anita, you say exactly what I have said a few times to myself: “If I don’t write, then what will I do?” Keep plugging, Anita, learn as much as you can about God and about writing. He will use your passion.