Call To Creativity

First all, Thank you to Julia for reminding us that we are wonderfully created by an amazingly creative God! That we are called to create to reflect His glory and in the process bring joy to our lives!

I needed last weeks talk.  I needed God’s truth, and Julia’s reminder that it’s not about perfection, or comparison or even having to build something more out of my creative moments than the simple enjoyment while bringing glory to God!

I have always loved being creative! Before having all these sweet little blessings we call children, I had a whole room dedicated to me being crafty and creative! Well, as most of you can understand, with each new babe, my creative space and time got smaller and smaller.  It’s a rare occasion when I can bust out my glue gun or paint brush and make something. This has been a big frustration to me as I truly miss being creative.  But this past Tuesday’s meeting reminded me that I AM creative in so many different areas of my life...and so are you! 

I created dinner out of the almost nothing food that was in my pantry.

Helping my son creatively think of a way to present his book report.

You may have figured out a new way to save your family money this month!

I picked up a paint brush for the first time in a long time with my daughter and we just started mixing colors and smearing them on the canvas. 

You may have found a creative way to convince your child to put their pants back on or get them buckled into their car seat. 

I let the creative juices flow and figured out a way to rearrange an area of my home that needed help.

You are able to keep a musical beat and choreographed a dance with your kids.

Those leaves we found on our walk around the block turned into a beautiful centerpiece.

You can somehow make flour and water and sugar into something delicious! 

God has placed a creative bone in each and everyone of us! Yours may be in your arm, hers in a cheekbone and mine in my big toe! 1 Corinthians 12:14 says, “Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.”  Thank you Jesus, we are all not earlobes.  Go ahead and ask your 5 year old to draw a picture of a person made up entirely of ears.  Just as our beautiful, wondrous bodies are made up of so many different pieces, each with a specific function, so is the many different creative gifts through out human kind. 

I used to still struggle when my creative niches don’t turn out like “hers.”  Or I would create something and it wouldn’t be nearly as perfect as I pictured it in my head; and then because it didn’t turn out 100% I abandoned it all together.  Definitely not a character trait I want to pass on to my children.  I love this quote from Leeana Tankersley: “The focus is on the process, the participation, not the product. Ever.” 

What if I allowed myself to be mediocre at a bunch of things I enjoy!? Getting rid of the pressure to create something the world can give me a gold star for, and instead simply create for Gods Glory and my own enjoyment.  

Whenever I start to feel myself slipping down this slippery slope of comparison and discontent in my creativity, I will remind myself of the 5 truths Julia shared with us:

God is who He says He is

God can do what He says He can do

I am who God says I am

I can do what God says I can do

His word is alive and active in me

After you have repeated those truths to yourself, give yourself the freedom and permission to explore what inspires or intrigues you! 

One of the gals at our table mentioned that she had recently made a list of all the things she was interested in trying.  It was her year to be courageous and experience new things.  This got me to thinking about what creative venture I wanted to try, but haven’t out of fear of failure. 

Acrylic painting immediately came to mind.  I love a good piece of abstract art.  So, right after MOPs I stopped by Joann’s for a bit of paint and bought Emmy and I each a small canvas to play with.  Slapping paint here and there, and smearing colors in no particular order with her was so good for my soul.  No expectations, no pressured finished product.  

Now it’s your turn.  YOU ARE CREATIVE.  It will look different than mine, or hers and even what yours was yesterday, but have the courage to step forward and figure it out!

Take a class.  On anything you find interesting! Cooking, botany, mechanics or bug dissecting!

Visit a museum, beach or art gallery.

See a show, concert or open mic night!

Adventure into your back yard with a magnifying glass. 

Sit on your roof, stare at the stars and create a new constellation.

Wander the arts and craft store until you stumble upon something that strikes your fancy! Use the coupon and forget about how messy it will be!

Have your children help you write a story filled with whatever comes to mind...you may create the next NY Times Best Seller!

Whatever it is you choose to do, start somewhere.  Figure out where God placed that creative bone inside your stunningly creative body and have fun! 

No rules, no expectations, no comparisons. 

Just you and the creative God who made you.  

~Mallory~

Have More Fun

I had the pleasure of watching this video about having more fun from the comfort of my home.  While it was playing at our meeting I was taking my wailing two year old home-- apparently he hasn't yet embraced this year's theme...have more fun and find your people Clay!

     I feel like Mandy has been somehow spying on my during this season of my life. How else would she know that it's mostly all admin (phone calls, paperwork, appointments, sports practices, homework, grocery shopping), making food (oh I detest the 3 times daily  making of the food) and checking things off my to-do-list (ok, I do love a good crossed out checklist).  If I'm honest, playing with my kids and having fun with my husband has been ranking a big fat last on my hierarchy of priorities-- and acknowledging that really stings. 

 

     When I look back at my childhood, I remember pretty much nothing about our day to day routine.  But here's what I do remember... I remember my mom baking cookies with me all the time (even though I'm sure I made it so much harder for her and spilled flour everywhere).  I remember my dad building us tree houses, taking us camping and reading us stories with all the crazy voices.  My brother somehow rigging his super soaker to spray me when I opened my bedroom door (who does that?). My grandpa paper-clipping dollar bills to his hat and a bunch of random places around his house for my brother and I to find.  We thought we were rich!  And when I think of my relationship with my husband, I think about how we drove across the country together when we were engaged.  How he sang "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" to me at our wedding.  How our boys adore him because he is "the fun one".

 

    I want to bring more of that good stuff into my adult life that has so easily become overrun by mundane tasks and just getting through the day.  I want to enjoy the moment and replace foreboding joy with things that will help me live with joy to the full.  To show people that I love them in a big way, and to know that I am loved by a good God.  I want to be healthier, more confident,  more accomplished, and lead a more fulfilling life.  I want to adapt easily when things go wrong.  So what can living with joy to the full actually look like in my everyday life? 

 

     Well first, it can look like letting go of the need to control.  This is something that I, and so many women struggle with.  It all starts with me acknowledging that there is very little in my life which is in my control, and therefore not sweating the small stuff.  When a wrench gets thrown in our plans, I can say to my kids, "No biggie.  Let's make a plan B.  Sometimes stuff happens!"  This shows them that there is no need to freak out.  With my husband it can look like biting my tongue and taking a minute to reassess before saying something I'll regret (I'm working on this every single day).

 

      Living with joy to the full can look like truly enjoying the moment that we're in.  So many times in my life I have been too busy focusing on the future or filled with anxiety, that I was never able to truly just appreciate the moment while I was living it.  That always leads to regret and wishing I had just enjoyed what I had when I had it.  I really try to stop and just notice things that are so beautiful.  The sunshine streaming through the windows.  The vibrant color of the flowers in my yard.  The round soft cheeks of my children who are older every second.

 

    Living with joy to the full can look like "doing it anyway."  Ohhhh, but getting the family ready for that day trip will take so much prep work.  The snacks, clothes, drinks, that I'll have to pack.  The driving I'll have to do.  I should just stay home and catch up on housework.  It's not worth it.  But that's just the thing....it's ALWAYS worth it.  Seeing new places, time spent together, glimpsing nature and smells and sounds, memories created.  It's worth it to me every single time (even if I have to block out the memories of meltdowns, which I have gotten really good at doing).

 

        Living with joy to the full can look like being more playful with my kids.  My husband definitely gets the credit for playing with our kids and will spend hours Lego building or tossing the ball with them.  But if I'm being honest, playing with my kids is not really my thing.  I just don't enjoy getting on the floor and playing trains or making play-doh creations with them.  (Sorry, not sorry). But what I do enjoy is being playful with them.  One of the tasks on my boys' morning routine chart is brushing their hair.  I always help them with this and the tears and screaming from having their hair combed was making us all just straight up miserable.  So one day, I turned my bathroom into "Kate's Salon".  I pretended like they were getting their hair styled by a professional and asked them all kids of questions about their lives while I did it.  And you know what.... they can't wait to visit Kate's Salon every single morning now....and I only take payment in kisses.  Their chore of taking out all the garbage on Sundays used to result in tears, yelling, and dramatic worries that no one will ever, ever hire them when they grow up. So I turned it into a competition to see if they could beat their time from last week to take all the trash out.  If they do, they get to watch America's Funniest Home videos that evening.  No more whining, no more crying, and they have so much fun being playful.   Everyone in a bad mood or just driving me crazy?  I crank up the "Call Me Maybe" station on Pandora and everyone dances until they're sweating and on the floor giggling.

 

     Living with joy to the full can look like just taking the time to have true conversation with my children and my husband.  This sounds so obvious, but I find myself saying, "Mmmm hmmm, yeah, ok," as I try to just get things done without having to hear about the latest Nerf Blaster and all 50 attachments that come with it.  Before bed the other night, I was laying with my oldest son and just taking the time to really talk.  He was telling me all about the latest book he's been reading, and casually mentioned that the name of the band the characters are in is called "Explosive Diaper".  Oh my word, I lost it.  I just started hysterically laughing, and then he started hysterically laughing, and then we just couldn't stop, and it reminded me that I love my son so much, (and 8 year old teeth when they're laughing are the best).  With my husband, it can look like taking the time to go on dates.  To get the babysitter, even if it's expensive or inconvenient.  Or to put the kids to bed and arrange a date at home (so many of those when we had newborns).  It can be so easy to turn into roommates when the kids are so little and needy, but it's so very important to remember why we chose one another in the first place-- and it's probably because we thought that person was a whole lot of fun.  

 

    Living with joy to the full can look like taking the time to invest in friendships.   When I was in high school and college, friends were my world.  Now I'm lucky if I get to see one a week:(  I try to really make it a priority to call up a friend and say, "Hey, let's go to the movies this week, I need a break!"  or "Let's try a new restaurant, I'm craving sushi."  I love the app Marco Polo for keeping in touch with my girlfriends who are far away, and what would I do without the occasional McDonald's play date to regain my sanity? Adult friendships take work, and they take putting yourself out there over and over, but the reward is so worth the effort.

 

    Being a mom and an adult is hard, but you can have joy to the full, if you make the choice by letting go of control and relying on a good God who loves you.  Take a step back and look at the big picture-- what do you would want your kids and your husband to remember years down the road? What do you want to remember about this phase of your life? Will you choose the path of striving, struggling, fighting and resisting?  Or will make small steps to choose the singing, running and dancing?  Maybe just start with the dinosaur costume at the bus stop and let me know how that goes ;)

 

~Kate~