Here’s a fun fact to think about ... according to Google, there are over 7.7 billion of us on the planet. Disregarding those of us with diseases or birth defects or disfigurements due to accidents or injury – all of us have the same basic foundation: a skeleton, muscles, skin, organs. We all have a nose, a mouth, eyes, ears, hair (well, most of us have THAT!), etc. We all have the same stuff, all pretty much arranged in the same order. Yet every single one of all 7.7 billion of us have distinct faces, fingerprints, body shapes, voices, DNA.
Even in a crowd of 7.7 billion, you could pick us out. Well, maybe it would take a few minutes to actually find us in a crowd that size ... but you’d recognize us once you did! We’re like a planet full of living snowflakes ... all made up of the same stuff ... no two alike!
But, not stopping with that incredible feat, God takes it a step further and gives us each a bag of goodies. It's really a bag of potential. Then He sits back and waits to see what we'll do with the life and gifts He gave us.
For writers and artists, that bag is full of ideas and passion and the need to go create. We can barely breathe unless we’ve got our hands on a brush, a pencil, a pen, a mouse or a keyboard.
So what's in your bag? And what are you doing with what you were given? Do you see the potential in that bag? Are you stretching and challenging yourself? Reaching for the stars?
It's all about having vision - a dream - and then making good choices about using what's in our bag to move us toward that dream. The more clearly we can visualize our dream, the more clearly we'll know how to use what's in our bag.
During the good times in our lives, it'll be fun and we'll sail along and make good progress. It's easy to make good choices then.
During hard and stressful times - 'cause life truly does stink sometimes - it's even more important to keep that vision clear and focused. Because when it's hard, you'll want to quit and give up, and you'll need that clear vision of the goal to give you strength to keep making good choices and keep that forward momentum.
Because in life there is no such thing as standing still. You will either be moving forward. Or you will be falling behind.
The good news is that the hard times are the times when you'll learn the most and gain the deepest and most rewarding growth. And that's pure gold for creative people since our creations directly reflect whatever level of depth and emotion is inside of us.
And if, while taking stock of your own progress, you find yourself disappointed and wishing you had made better choices up to now ... look up! God is a God of second chances. He redeems the unredeemable. He makes dry bones live, and carves out paths for our feet in desolate places. It's really all about the choice of giving Him control of that bag and it's contents, or trying to manage it all yourself.
His Word says He lays before us life and death, and allows us to choose which we want ...
So grab your bag, find your dream, and set your eyes on the stars ... and choose LIFE!
Love you Cuzo.