Beauty of God: Day 6 - Inspiration from the One and Only

The common theme goin' around at church these past couple of shabbats have been vision and potential.

Or vision vs. potential.
So, to get my point across for today's update, let me put two sermons in a nutshell for ya:

Vision = our goals, where we hope to be in the future, based on past and present experiences.
Thus, our visions are subject to change, due to said past and present experiences.

Potential, on the other hand, is fixed.
God speaks His potential into us before we are born. So, really, we've got some pretty high standards to reach. And they're possible, because with God, anything is possible.

HIS vision for us is not just to believe in His Son, Yeshua, and repent, but to grow and accomplish what He has called us to do, at the level He has called us to reach.

How often does our vision change, or go dormant?
How often do we limit our potential to who we think we are or who we think we'll become, rich or poor?

These sermons have given me much to think over, and tonight, I was inspired greatly.

I was talking to my cousin about these sermons, and somehow we ended up talking about stories that we had been working on many many years ago up to...I don't know, sometime last year, maybe.

There was a time in my life where I was dead sure we were gonna write these books, and they were gonna get published and speak to people.

And then the motivation died.
The ideas kept coming, and there was - IS - still a tugging on my heart whenever I think of these stories and characters, but experience has taught me I don't have enough self motivation. And people have taught me that this isn't a realistic dream, that I need to make money to be any kind of successful.

I'm not trying to blame people or lack of motivation. Well...ok, I can definitely blame lack of motivation. Blaming myself is super easy here, because it really is my fault that this vision died.

Some people go through these creative "phases" and realize it's not for them. Which is cool. Sometimes God changes our hearts for the better.

But I don't believe writing these books and creating these characters was just a phase for my cousin and me.
Because there's a longing in my heart to see these books reach people.
And I don't regret one minute of all the time we spent creating this new world and all the people in it.

So, the vision was lost.

But is God re-awakening it?

I feel like if God was to have killed that desire in me, He'd have done it a long time ago. Because it's a tug that keeps on tugging. It has never truly died.

What does potential have to do with all this?

Well, I feel like I've been seriously lowering my "sense" of potential for a long time now. I let my experiences, past and present, affect how far I feel is right to go. I lower my standards, because I feel like that's all I'm good for.

A lot has happened this year that's been re-awakening a lot of the visions I've had for the future.
Lemme give you the "time-line":

1. Fresh out of high school in '08, went to community college as an art major, with the ideas in my head that these books would be published, some art would get out, and life was good.

2. Continued at said community college as an art major, realizing, "Hm...I could write these books and do art...but then what? I'm learning that this won't pay all the bills...so...I'll get into art therapy instead."

3. Realized said community college doesn't have an art therapy program, but was counselled to continue with my major and get into therapy at a four year university. But still going for it, because it looks interesting and will make money (and, of course, help people. Can't forget that).

- Somewhere within this time-frame, I begin illustrating a children's story for a friend -

4. Decide I like doing art for me, not using it to help people recall traumatic experiences (don't get me wrong, I think art therapy is an awesome thing. But could any of the three of you who read this seriously see me doing this?!). So I'm back to square one: art.

5. Remember how much I love and miss horses, so I find a barn close by that allows me to work there in exchange for riding lessons. Start thinkin', "Well, maybe art therapy was a bust, but what about being a therapy riding instructor?" So I research it, get info from a hippotherapist, even help out for a day at a therapy barn (with afore-mentioned cousin), and decide, "Yes, this is the career for me. I can always do art on the side."

6.Taking an illustrating class second to last semester, and my professor tells me he can see me illustrating. I keep this in the back of my mind.

7. In my last semester of said community college with the intention of going back or to another school for two years of physical therapy training. Then realize that when I tell people what I want to do, I can't even think of the term. Therapy. Riding. Instructor. Is it really that hard to say? But for some reason, I couldn't even remember. So now I'm unsure.

8. Quietly decide that being a...um...what is it? Using horses for therapy - therapy riding instructor! - isn't it. I've graduated with my AA in art. Picking up on illustrating, and have had multiple people telling me that they love the art I do and can see my passion for it in my paintings. Remember my illustration professor talking to me about a future in illustrating.

I think this finally gets us caught up to now. There was definitely a lot of in-between stuff within those, I guess, two to three years, but I think you get the point now of how visions have changed.

So, this brings us to the present. I believe God has not only re-called me to my art visions, but to writing these books as well.

So, now, I guess this transition of being called to creativity from dormancy is in need of some God-given potential. Because His promises are attainable.
And His potential is possible to reach, because HE has ordained it, and if HE has said it shall be done, who am I to stand in His way? Why should I limit myself to be less than or greater than what my potential is through Him who gives it?

And not only limit my potential, but my transition?

I don't believe I've been called to be creative, and that's it. There's a whole promised land waiting for me. And God will be the same God there as He is with me right now. And He will carry me along this journey of growing in Him, of achieving these visions He has called me to, and reaching His potential.

So, all this to say that His inspiration to be better and to do more is a beautiful thing. I hope I have conveyed that to some degree.