i'm blown away by artists. i don't mean musical artists, i mean artists who create with their paints, recyclables and in this case--pens. i wish i could draw. i still remember my 1st experience with art in mr. vanecek's 1st grade art class. we were all given the project to color and stay inside the lines. i can't remember what the image we were coloring was, but i do remember getting done and comparing my picture to karl carstensen's drawing and realizing that drawing/coloring/art was not my gift. karl had perfectly shaded and colored his image inside the lines, while i had fudged the line over and over again. my picture looked sloppy, karl's looked vibrant and almost real...like this BiC artist's recreation.
on another note, i've gained quite a few pounds recently. there's been a lot going on and i think the stress is expressing itself through my gut. :-0 today when i went to get lunch after church, i found myself wrestling over whether i should purchase a soda and finally convinced myself that if i wanted to return to my former health, i needed to stick to the plan of cutting out soda.
i'm thinking about it now and realizing how many areas of our lives would be more vibrant and healthy if we would just stay inside the lines of our commitments. as hard as it is to say "no"to ourselves, we know it's good for us to set boundaries around what we eat, what we watch, where we spend our time, who we spend our time with, how we spend our money, where we sleep at night, who we sleep at night with etc. and when we're inside the lines on these issues we can find the joy of a simple life. but when we reach for "just one more" and push the lines of our commitments to other's and ourselves, we end up complicating life and trapped in unhealthy circumstances.
wouldn't it be nice if BiC could create a tool that would ensure that we'd all stay in the lines of our lives? but as i think out loud, it really isn't important what the product is that gets us back in health. for people like me losing weight maybe it's P90x, for people trying to cut back on their spending maybe it's Dave Ramsey's financial advice, for people trying to stop drinking maybe its AA...but whatever tool we use to help us get healthy, the key to staying inside the lines isn't actually the tool. the key question is who is holding the tool?
karl carstensen is the guy i want holding the pen if it's a coloring exercise to stay inside the lines. but, for the big boundaries that help me stay alive and well, i need someone besides even the best drawer--someone who sees the whole picture of my life and knows how to keep me out of trouble. and i can start to engage that bigger someone through acknowledging my need for help through a simple prayer. Creative Creator God, i cannot live my life on my own...i will never become the person i'm made to become if it's up to me alone. Help me discover who You are as You help me surrender to You the tools You've put in place to bring me fully alive. You alone know how to save me from myself because You sent Your Son to destroy the power of sin. Destroy the power of sin over my life as i learn to become the person You made me to be. Amen.
2 comments:
Odd. I just wrote a bit about this myself. Isn't it funny that as we become more in awe of other's talents we manage to minimize our own in return? It's especially easy to do when faced with a striking piece of art or the sound of a stirring melody. It's very sobering when you begin to judge yourself unrealistically against the talents of others. I may not be able to stir the masses with my song, the brush of a pen, or through sharp photographic images; but, as a resource for foster and adoptive parents, I can strengthen one person or family. I won't ever be a world renowned artist or rock star. Instead I need to remember that this is the life I was called to lead, led by a God who molded my heart, mind and body for this. Knowing that, I don't have to worry about creating masterpieces because, I am His canvas, a masterpiece of His making. I simply (and at times not so simply) have to trust His process, listen to His teachings, and learn from His instruction.
As for the fitness regime...P90X?! Really?! Those workouts are insane! Me? For now I am just trying to get my 1650 down to under 1 hour!
hahahaha! you're such a good writer, and hysterical i might add. you're absolutely right that YOU are the canvas and your calling is uniquely creative. every creation is a creator/rock-star if we will only learn to accept our individual chosen-ness. i love that you claim your blessedness and live from that place of God's calling for your life.
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