BLOG BY SANDY BOOGHIER: Live Life as a Lyric Rather than a List. I recently read an E book, 7 Little Ways to Live Art, by Emily P. Freeman. Adding some of my own ideas and scripture, I created a Bible study for my small group. The following is a shortened version of my thoughts. Be as God created you to be. The story of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden made perfect sense. We were meant to be with our creator. Only in constant communion & fellowship with Him could people be fully alive & totally fulfilled. By expressing direct intense personal emotions especially in a manner suggestive of a song, we allow ourselves to live life as a lyric instead of a list. Way 1, according to Ms. Freeman, is wherever you are, be all there. Be in the present, not in the past or the future. Don’t use “just” before what you are or what you are doing. Today give yourself permission to simply be where you are. Way 2 is to use what you have, divine resources. Befriend narrow limits. Let them be a reminder that your work & your art are impossible without God. Our limits can be gifts. Rely on God for your strength. Courage happens in the deep & secret place where our lives are joined with God. This represents Way 3. Joshua 10:25 instructs us “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Be strong & courageous”. Show up in the world & be who you already are. Practice courage by admitting what you fear. Psalm 23 tells us that God is with us. Cultivate generosity is the fourth way to live art. The job of an artist is to create, to honestly offer what he has without making demands for a return on his investment. This is the kind of art made with words, choices, & attitude. Offer the gifts that God gave you. The gifts of the Lord are like fruit trees. Branches grow in new directions & fresh fruit is produced. We can’t control the process. Our job is to remain connected to the trunk & to share the fruit with those in need. Way 5 is to release the outcomes. Offer your small works and release the outcomes in God’s hands. Think of the little boy with the loaves & fishes. He didn’t plan to feed the multitudes. He just gave his offering to God & let Him do it. Way 6 is to rehearse wonder. Wonder slows us down to remember what we were made for: to be human, to be small, & to reflect the glory of God. The final way, number 7, is to let things grow. Pray by offering your work up to God. Small movements count. Waiting counts. Remember Sarah & Hannah. Today is God’s day. Nothing is too hard for God. Jeremiah 32:17b. Live life as a lyric not as a list. Take one day at a time, living in the present. Don’t fret over the past or worry about the future. Use your divine resources. Rely on God for courage & cultivate generosity. Release your outcomes to God. Rehearse wonder by thinking of one activity that you enjoy, but consider a waste of time. Do it on purpose. Finally, let things grow. Wait for God. Nothing is too hard for God. Sandy Booghier
Posted on: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 12:42:28 +0000