You have bedded me down in lush meadows,you find me quiet pools to drink from.
Ps. 23:2 MSG
Make space for your soul.
Relax in simple beauty.
͟͟
Fresh water to refresh me.
MY LIFE IS IN CHAOS!
As you read the verse, are you at a place in your life where these words really make absolutely no sense? For example: chronic pain surrounds your every waking moment, or maybe dear friends, possibly close relatives have prayed for healing concerning physical attacks on their bodies with no release in sight, or maybe a strange ailment takes you from doctor to doctor and they cannot give you a direction. Urgent questions with no answers.
Yes there is turmoil. Yes there is beauty.
Do you feel as though you have been quite diligent with your daily scripture intake, with ALL OF ITS MANY WORDS, but lately, that iswhat they have become- MERE WORDS. ☹ It is so ok to be honest. God loves you.God deals better with honesty than with fake obedience.
With the turbulence of the world, lies from the enemy and the void offered from empty sources, your soul is tired. The protective measures you put up as a way to handle life may be the very barrier keeping God’s intimate gentle breath at bay. God’s deep love will sooth your soul.
Gentle, beauty reaching out past the ugliness.
You cannot escape a few thorns while enjoying the beauty of a rose. Pain comes with beauty. God does not demand you to experience the pain on you own. The CREATOR of the universe has never abandoned you, even in times when you feel abandoned. His Hand is always reaching out.
In these present uncertainties, dare to picture His arms holding
you in a peaceful meadow next to a cool stream.
A David Psalm
23 1-3 God, my shepherd!
I don’t need a thing.
You have bedded me down in lush meadows,
you find me quiet pools to drink from.
True to your word,
you let me catch my breath
and send me in the right direction.
Portions of A David Psalm
How do you feel?
Paint, draw, or write a story or poem, responding to the chaos in your present soul. As creatives, this is the gift we can use to connect with the pain in our heart. Try to make physical, the invisible pain. Use it as a sacrifice of praise. Be Bold! Be Daring!
Offer this gift to God. Ask God to bring you to an honest quiet place.
Turn off the outside noise. Listen to the One who really loves you!
RECEIVE God’s Words for you today, REFLECT upon God’s Heart for you, RESPOND to what God is sharing with you.
Be still! Receive!
If there is space today, create what you received in response to your honest quiet time with God. Share here or on my Facebook page if you wish. We are all on this journey together.
Please be patient with me today as I digress from the devotions.
I hope you have discovered challenges for your spiritual walk in my writings. My desire is to create space for you and meditations that will affect both your life and your art/ creativity. Personally, I don’t think one can be separated from the other. (Being a Type Four in the Enneagram explains that.1 ) Do you look at your creative adventure with God as a sacrifice of praise? Can you see your writings through the eyes of worship? This calls for intentionally spending time with God to see what is on His heart for you. In other word using a form of spiritual discipline to seek God’s face for your art, for your life.
The devotions are also meant to bring up a few questions in your creative approach you might not have considered before. For example: is art involved with justice, how does God express His heart today through creativity, is God seen in secular art? Response of your thoughts and discussion are encouraged.
Now to today’s post. I am stepping into the vulnerable waters of my personal space. Come and join me.
At the end of each post I draw you into a time of contemplation. I ask you to:
RECEIVE, REFLECT, RESPOND,
to the devotions I shared and the time you spend with God in the genre of your choice. I think it is only fair for me to share with you how my creative journey is going. ☺
First and foremost I know- God is Good, all the time. This includes the times my words do not flow. This is true when the photo app does not work as my mind’s eye envisions the art. This is true when I can’t understand certain requirements to upgrade my presentation. This is true when my mind feels as though everyone else is better at things then I am.
Slow down to enjoy God in the very small things in life. Through the tears, the anger, the pain. At times it REALLY needs to be intentional.
It has been on tough on me lately. I have been trying to see life through the Lens of God’s grace and acceptance. I know My Creator loves me, but sadly, through my tears, my anger, my pain, loving myself was/is very hard.
I analyzed. I prayed. I wrote. Finally I reached something tangible because even though I don’t completely feel out of the forest, I found two constants running through the debts of my emotions.
Type Fours get ready (small drum roll)——–
Envy and Comparison.
For me, these two sins are a deadly duo. Type Fours are not the only ones who experience such an emotional attack on our walk in life, but it does seem that we do have a tendency to be a bit more susceptible to this upset.2 (Creatives of all types, how do these two enemies of our art and life show up in your walk?)
In my case the attacks come:
from looking at other peoples’ accomplishments in creativity (and my lack),
how quickly something is understood by people in my field but I am really slow to catch on.
I see myself surrounded by “shoulds”. This comparison comes as I draw out expectations to meet certain standards and everyone else is whizzing by with their accomplishments. Where do I see myself? Still on first place or wondering why I need to do the activity in the first place?
If you identify with any of these, you are not crazy. You do not need to handle the internal battle on your own. These natural battles and more will arise on your journey in creative expressing/ living. This is the time where the deeper/ closer walk with God comes in.
The words of the Sunday School song—
Yes
Jesus Loves, Me-The Bible tells me so.
These words are an absolute truth. Do you walk around as if in a fog at times? Yes, Jesus does loves you and walks with you in your creativity!
are filled with absolute truth. I don’t want a theological debate here, but I need something in the words and beyond words to run its course in my soul when Envy and Comparison are battling for my peace of mind.
What is my course of action?
I need to stop and allow TRUTH to sink into my heart. I have to ask the Holy Spirit to move in my heart. I can’t just say “get out”, and brush my hands with a finished flare. I have to ask the Holy Spirit to clean out my heart and remove the rubbish so Truth is what I Breathe. This may take time. This is what needs to happen to move my words. I cannot try just having the words move my words.
This post is a time to stop. I do not mean stop creating. I am asking you to stop and breathe. If there is a nudge from the Holy Spirit, take time with a friend, go out for coffee and confess. Confess where everything or anything out there is having a bigger affect on your life than God.
If the creative “calling” is chaotic and it’s yelling is louder than the simple truth of “Jesus Loves Me”, consider a time out with Jesus as a possible next choice.
Does the stopping and asking mean the change will happen quickly? Sadly, there are no guarantees to an immediate difference. I will say, if you do not stop and talk to God it may never happen.
Is it important to you for people to stop and take the time to listen to what you are sharing? How do you respond when God asks you to stop and listen to the Words of Life He shares with you?
Through the chaos, God’s Love is always here. He is working a good plan.
God Takes My Hand. He completes what He starts. That brings JOY.
BE
FREE
TO
WORSHIP
AS
YOU
WERE
CREATED!
1 If you are interested in finding out more about the Enneagrams Type Four of Nine Types, you can read THE ROAD BACK TO YOU by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016)
2 Referring to Type Fours being susceptible to ENVY and COMPARISON :Ibid.
34-38 Jesus said, “I tell you most solemnly that anyone who chooses a life of sin is trapped in a dead-end life and is, in fact, a slave. A slave is a transient, who can’t come and go at will. The Son, though, has an established position, the run of the house. So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through. John 8: 34-38 MSG
What burdens weigh you down? Bind your mind, body and soul then slap the label SLAVE on top?—–Deadlines? Competition? Performance? Comparison?
I am sorry if this does not sound like a sweet love letter from Jesus, but God wants us to see the barriers keeping us from dancing in freedom.
When I have tunnel vision and I allow performance to be the motivation of my creativity, I become a slave. I may walk around as if everything is running smoothly(although my husband is beginning to ask questions. I get a bit quieter than usual.) The truth is, it feels as though I have a ball and chain pulling down my every step. I am not walking in the truth of how God sees me or His vision for me.
It is so wonderful that God knows the truth of who I am. His love will never leave me. With His sword, He swipes away the thick cords wrapped around me. I am again free to worship.
When I lie to myself saying, “I have no needs” or to others with, “I have it all together, I dig a bottomless hole with no way out. Barriers go up to community and to God. That is living as a slave.
Reread the bible verse. Specifically the last line.:
So if the Son sets you free, you are free through and through!
We are set free. We can reach for the stars. God gives us community for a little help.
RECEIVE this verse into your soul. Allow God to swipe away the chords binding you.
Take at least 10 minutes (set a timer so you don’t need to think about it) and REFLECT upon what God wants to share with you. What barriers hold you back from Him, your art, your community, yourself? Ask God if there are ways to consistently walk in deeper freedom in these areas.
RESPOND to what God shared with you. In your specific genre (writing, drawing, photography painting, etc, ) can you express what you received? Are there ways you want to share here in joy and or for accountability?
This site and my Facebook page (Sandi A. Ackerman) are places where you are welcome to share your thoughts and growth. https://www.facebook.com/worshipcreatedream/ Questions are welcome too although I can only guarantee prayer.☺
Worship, Create, Dream 