“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others.
“Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.”
Thanks Evan… I would like to share a quote by our Sadguru Jaggi Vasudeva..
Quote “Human lives become beautiful not because we do the right things. Human lives become beautiful because we put our heart into what we are doing”Unquote
Its so much fun to do anything that we take up with our hearts and with interest. Then we get the satisfaction and joy and the jobs we undertake and accomplish blesses us and all concerned.
Many years ago when I had first had my children and realised that my spare time had vanished and been replaced with an endless repeated pattern of washing, cooking, cleaning and tidying up…then doing it all again before I’d had time to do any of my much-loved artwork (which I HAD imagined pre-kids, that I would have plenty of time for once I was a mother).
One day I read that Ephesians quote above and realised that I COULD still be creative with WHATEVER it was, that I had to do.
First I learned to sew then made interesting additions to the patterns.
I realised that as God never puts us in our wrong place, this was what I was meant to be doing, So, I decided to use my artistic talent to make EVERYTHING I did a creative endeavour
Cooking also soon became creative and interesting, with meals from many different cultures and countries and 30 odd years later I still get great pleasure from cooking unusual recipes and presenting them beautifully. it is right to progress in whatever situation we find ourselves in and to use the talents we have. I didn’t get to paint again for 12 years but I was still expressing God’s creativity and also didn’t feel as frustrated any more either.
Diane, that sounds like a Daily Lift or an article for the Christian Science Sentinel! I’d love to hear more of your thinking with the creative mind of Christ!
Evan, thank you for the divine thought you put into what you share on Spiritview… Always inspiring, and I suspect I’m not the only one who feels dearly loved when I read what you share with us.
Wow! That’s Amazing, Evan! I looked up the King James Version of the above translation and it doesn’t even sound like the same thing! The way it sounds in the KJ Bible is kinda heavy and somber and punishing. The way the Message puts it sounds more like a Self-Improvement Course of Today! Maybe that’s why so many people have been turned off by the Bible – because it often reads as Heavy and Accusing…..like You are a Sinner and never Good Enough!
Yes,thank you Evan,for all of your inspiring messages,and also thanks to the commentators who contribute their remarks.
While studying guitar years ago and practicing 6-8 hours a day for 7 years
i fell in love with washing dishes…I would bring great relief and comfort to my sore over worked fingers…
One day, while washing dishes, i suddenly became into a very thoughtful place with an unusual presence of mind…
Washing dishes became a very creative and instructive activity….
I saw beauty and purpose was present and good…
It wasn’t the dishwashing… it was the thoughtful presence of mind revealing
something i hadn’t noticed before and from such a simple mundane activity…
I have since always looked for this in all my activities…. from the most simple to the most challenging…
I found beauty peace and purpose is the most unusual places since then…
And since then…. then women in my life have loved me all the more…
I always volunteer to wash the dishes…
that was great. I have been having trouble for some time now doing my job because I am growing tired of the routine. I am heading toward retirement. I have to remember who is really doing this but the resistance ,as in many parts of my life, can be quite strong.
I do remember what Diane talked about. I began to see, as a young mother, I could be creative in everything I did. I just saw my major job was my family and that took a while to put work /career and my life unfolding in a perspective that was harmonious with the truth I was learning.
Loved hearing all the beautiful stories from everyone. Bringing joy to all your duties is so helpful. It’s always delightful to learn new things and then expand your skills
Thanks, Maximo – that was both True and Funny! It sounds almost like an Eastern or Buddhist/Hindu Mindfulness/mindlessness overtook you. Maybe you were just so In the Moment, in the Here & Now, that the Joy and Presence of God took over and it didn’t really matter WHAT you were doing – it was more in the HOW….!!???
Thank you Evan for this helpful post!
Diane, your comment was very helpful to me as well. My mom has always reminded to enjoy even the mundane tasks as that’s when we can receive great inspiration. Thank you for this lovely reminder! I also think that sounds like a great testimony. 😉
Thank you Evan and thank you Diane. Feeling stuck in my job and physical location, I decided to do some prayerful studying. One of the articles I read was Evan’s “Escape to Reality”. When I had finished I walked out into the living room and was inspired to move every stick of furniture. I continued on throughout the house. When I had finished I felt like I was living in a new house, with much more light and openness and harmony. Same house, but reflecting a very different consciousness, reminding me that when you change the way you look at things, the things you are looking at change. I really didn’t need to go anywhere, I just needed a change of thought.
“Love is the liberator.” My Christian Science teacher emphasized being and doing anything with love no matter what your circumstance., A good article:” Making space in our lives for the things that really matter” from the Feb.6 1995 Sentinel, It tells of a lowly dishwasher in a busy restaurant who resented his job until he realized he should do it with love.
Here it is the 16th February—I didn’t read this post yesterday, but I have something to add. A very dear friend told me that we should do things with love, no matter how mundane or monotonous the job. She told me that when she made the bed, if she didn’t do it with love in her heart she would make herself do it over again! Wow! That impressed me deeply. I honestly do try to do all my tasks with love. Then they are no longer burdensome. They make me feel light, happy, and good.
Love this post. As an artist I can relate to every comment. Putting love into all activity is expressing God’s Love consistently. This is what I strive to do. Thanks Nergish for that quote. It is one I will share with my artist friends.