Marcia Lee Laycock was the winner of the Best New Canadian Christian Author Award in 2006. Her devotionals have been widely published. Visit her website - http://www.vinemarc.com/
Someone once asked me if I wasn’t a writer what would I do? I immediately thought of all the wonderful creative pursuits I’d love to indulge in. I paint a little and would love to do more. My mind sometimes seems to work like a camera so I’d love to be a photographer. My daughter has made me cry when she danced and I’d give a lot to be able to move to music like she does. And music … oh my, to play the piano or guitar or … well, I could go on. I can think of a lot of things to do and I think many of them would satisfy my need to create.
Thoreau wrote: "We are continually invited to become who we are." I believe I am continually invited to become a writer. But sometimes I find that path hard. It takes determined effort and no small amount of discipline. Sometimes it seems a heavy burden. Sometimes I wish I could do anything else other than write.
It need not be so. When I trust in the God who continually invites me to be the child he created me to be, faith grows. When I draw close to Him, the effort and struggle slip away. In those moments I move into that wonderful state called grace. In those moments writing becomes a state of being rather than a state of doing.
Eugene Patterson’s paraphrase puts it like this - “Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me – watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly” (Matthew 11: 28-30, The Message).
God continually invites us to become what He created us to be, His children, designed to live a life of joy and abundance, savouring His grace and mercy. He has opened the way to achieve that by giving us all a creative process, a framework within which to work, a unique way of keeping company with Him.
No matter what you are invited to become, the invitation to do it joyfully with Him is always there.
No matter what you are invited to become, the invitation to do it joyfully with Him is always there.
Lovely article. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI needed to read this today. Thank you!
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