Often I hear people say:
“I’m not good at art. I can’t draw. I can’t sing. I can’t dance… I wasn’t designed that way, Phil. You might be artistically-inclined, but you know what, I’m not like that. I don’t think artistically. I’m not creative.”
Self-degrading and ridiculous! It might be true that you are not a technician in the application of media, or that you can’t bend your vocal chords to belt out that note, or you really were born with two left feet… but that does not make you not creative… The fact that you are formulating a thought, articulating a word, transforming and twitching your face into an expression … are all small creations you’ve taken for granted. Everything we think, everything we say, and everything we express through our bodily expressions, are all part of a greater collective. You are contributing to the culture and the fabric of our society by everything you do each and every day… whether you know it, or don’t know it, believe it, or choose not to believe it… You are creating every single day of your life. If you really believe that your life is so boring and uninteresting, that you really do not envision yourself as someone who creates, but is just breathing air and pumping blood to sustain your crude carbon body with nothing creative to offer this world, then I guess I’m here today, deliberately with the intent to talk to you. I’m challenging you…. with two questions: First, (and this is gonna come out pretty dramatically) Why are you living? Second, and more importantly, why do you say you live for God?
Really I am here to share some of my own story and to share in my own walk, but my story is connected with yours. For me, as a seeker of Christ for over a dozen years now, you are what I know about this Christian institution called Church. You as an individual is playing your part in fitting stones in the path before me, as I am trying desperately to stay on it. And at the same time, as I trip down the path and unwedge the stones you’ve placed down, in my mind, I’m wondering whether you’ve placed the stones in the right spot. Quite the conundrum.
Most of you in this room, have made a public statement that you follow Jesus Christ. From what I understand, following Christ is not a responsive action statement, it requires initiative. If you are following Christ, your life, is the single greatest manifesto for your creative self you didn’t think existed. Finding passion in the things that God has entrusted to you, and to you alone is what this is all about. It is not about being recognized for a talent in an art form, or being recognized as a “creative person”. Being creative is just being what God intended of you. It’s about finding your vocation and living your life pursuing it, to love God, help others, and to serve humanity. This is what Mosaic is about. Never to be the same again. Never being the same again is about finding your passion to change your life. To evolve. To create. Finding what God has placed on your heart and living it. Creating and living that life every day…. take a moment to think about that… And better yet, take a moment to pray about that.
Lon and I are not here at the front of the room to tell you, you should go become a rock star. It’s not about going off and trying to paint the Sistine chapel. It’s definitely not about trying out for the tv show, “So You Think You Can Dance”. It’s not about what we say, it’s about what God is saying. What is He saying? What is He saying to you? It is about finding that passion that empowers you to love God, help others and serve humanity. It can be in the big things, but most likely, it’s in the small things:
· Nurturing relationships
· Tuning into people around you
· Smiling
It’s about the small things… take care of the people around you. Your family, your friends, the bus driver that drives you every day, the cashier at the grocery store, the janitor at work or school. You see these people often. But do you know them? Think of 3 people in your daily school, work, domestic or church lives you have not taken the time to get to know. Ask yourself, why have you not created a relationship with these people? I recently have made it a mandate to spend time at the end of the day talking to the caretaking staff at my work: Angelo and Gloria. A wonderful couple who has been sweeping floors and wiping toilets for over 30 years. An immigrant family from Peru, who has two children, a chiropractor and lawyer, now moved away from home. They work from 4pm to 11pm every day. They are so dedicated to their work, that they come in to the office even when it is closed on snow-days. They work tirelessly and always have a smile on their faces.
Do you know the names of the people who clean up the mess you leave behind? Is your life spreading love to others as Jesus did? Or are you just worried about completing that report on time?
Understanding that we aren’t all friend-makers… some people are more outgoing and friendly than others… but ask yourself when was the last time you really nurtured a relationship? When was the last time you tuned into somebody around you, while letting your own priorities and anxieties fall to the wayside? When was the last time you offered a smile to someone? You are creating each and every single day of your life.
Being creative can be about visual arts. That appeals to our eyes… Being creative can be about music. That appeals to our ears… Being creative can be about breaking bread with others. That appeals to our taste… Being creative can be about relationship. That appeals to our feelings… Being creative – is about being.
Living.
It is the greatest gift you’ve been given, by the Master Creator…
Your life.
Aren’t you going to create the most with it?
