Opportunities for Glory & Grace | These Tea-Stained Pages
Published about 2 years ago âąÂ 7 min read
Hey hey hey, folks! Long time, no see. đ€ I took a little unannounced hiatus from my newsletter and a few other online things during July and August in an attempt to focus on and finish my current WIP. Suffice to say, I have not finished said project, but I have made significant progress and I'm able to jump back in to my usual proceedings feeling somewhat satisfied with the events of the summer. But I'll talk about that later on my blog. Now, I want to jump right in to this month's emailâwhich, I will warn you, is exceedingly long. đ So let's not waste any more time...
Back in June, I talked (ranted?) about worship and what it means to live a life of worship. This month, I want to hone in on a specific aspect of lifeâcreativityâand how it entwines with worship.
Worship was designed to put the supreme worth of God on display (Piper, 2016). And we were made to worship (Isaiah 43:7, 21; 1 Peter 2:9). Our primary purpose on this earth is to make Godâs name known in all the nations and in all generations, to glorify and honor Him with everything we do (1 Cor. 10:31). Everything includes our creative pursuits, the work of our hands, the thoughts of our mind and the expressions of our heart. Every breath we take in and every breath we let out should be to the glory of God.
In a world where there is nothing new under the sun and no one seems to remember the people and things of the past (Eccl. 1:9-11), where everything in life seems like a striving after wind, we still have purpose. For the Preacher, that purpose was to do the task God sets before us with pleasure and enjoyment, to find joy in our work and do good all our lives.
âWhat gain has the worker from his toil? I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toilâthis is God's gift to man.â
Eccl. 3:9-13 ESV
As simple as it sounds, and as easy as it is to hold that truth in our minds, realizing it can be surprisingly difficult. We want to create. We want joy. We want purpose. We want to experience God in our everyday lives. But sometimes, everything we do still feels like wind. Always out of reach, slipping through our fingers, fading like a warm breath in winter.
We find that when our creative well runs dry, we feel disillusioned in life itself. Or that when our spiritual life feels, well, lifeless, our earthly pursuits suffer as well.
So many different things can play into this. Starting a new job. Going back to school. Moving or experiencing another life change. Entering a new relationship or leaving an old one. So many different things can disrupt our routines, turn our lives upside down, or leave us feeling burnt-out or listless. And most of those things are outside of our control or simply canât be changed.
But there are two things that can: our mindset and our heart posture.
âReframe the things you make with your hands or mind to be an act of worship, creating alongside God for the glory of his kingdomâ (Guiliano, 2024).
I see and talk to so many people, especially writers, who struggle to find balance. Their spiritual life is in shambles and they wonder why their creative pursuits suffer, or vice versa. They feel purposeless or devoid of joy, and the things they once reveled in have become chores or distant memories. I myself have gone through phases of the exact same thing, and thatâs why I want to take the next few weeks/months to explore the link between creative dryness and spiritual dryness + how to worship through creating.
In these emails, weâll talk about the different seasons we go through and how to cultivate healthy habits for every time in life. Weâll discover how to experience freedom and purpose and glory in our walk with Christ and our creative endeavors. Weâll discuss communion with God and its importance in our everyday lives.
And today, weâre talking about reframing our work and changing our heart and mind so that we can move forward into communion and freedom with open and willing hearts.
At the beginning of this email, I described worship as making Godâs name known in all the nations and in all generations, as glorifying and honoring Him with everything we do. Worship is the outpouring of our right knowledge of God and right relationship with Him. When we get to know Him and experience His goodness in our lives (which happens through communionâe.g., reading and meditating on Scripture, praying, or just listening to God), we want to praise Him and thank Him for all He is and all Heâs done. And we want to serve Him with our time, our money, and our effortsâmaybe by teaching a Sunday School class or volunteering at a ministry or giving to missions.
This is what a life of worship looks like, right?
But how does that translate to things outside of âchurchyâ stuff? Outside of organized ministries and nursery duty, outside of devotionals and Bible studies, outside of singing songs and raising our hands? How do we take our quiet time and praise songs and service with us every day of the week? How do we incorporate that same mindset of communion, praise, and service into our writing, drawing, photography, music-making, baking, ceramics, gardening, scrapbooking, woodworking, graphic designing, etc.?
The answer isnât what youâd think it would be.
Last November, I wrote a post about consistency in writing, how some folks need to write every day to grow and flourish as writers, and how some need to write when they feel inspired and motivated so that writing doesnât feel like a chore. You wouldnât think writing every day or not writing every day would have anything to do with GodâŠbut it does, and thatâs the whole point.
At the end of that post, I wrote:
âIn the end, all that matters is your heart posture and your mindset. Regardless of what youâre doing, if you view it as a chore or youâre doing it for any other reason but for Godâyour heartâs in the wrong place. You need a mindset change.
âWhen we surrender ourselves and everything we do to God and His direction, and when we view our creation and actions as a form of worship to Him, we find that whether we create every day or once every six months, we do it well. We do it with gratitude and joy. We do it with His help, through Him, not of our own strength and ability. And that, dear writer, matters infinitely more than any schedule every could.
âSo even if you feel like youâve committed to a form of consistency that works for you, I encourage you to take a step back and check your heart and mind. Consider where your intentions lay and who youâre creating for, why youâre creating at all. Ask the Lord to continually renew your spirit and help you serve Him in all you do, whenever and wherever and however you do it.â
Something as simple as motivation to write comes down to whether we write for a greater kingdom, for a higher purpose. When we focus on why we write, our motivation to write is restored. When we remember that everything we do has purpose, we wonât see things as chores or obstacles but as blessings and opportunities.
Creative renewal begins with removing the boxes and barriers that say âthis is secularâ and âthis is sacred.â Get rid of the compartments in your life that regulate spiritual life to Sundays and real life to Monday-Saturday. Look for the opportunities for glory and grace in your work.
Making this shift is a slow and intentional progress. Itâs literally retraining your mind, so donât expect it to happen all at once. Take your time, and take it one step at a time.
Over the next week, start by doing these three things:
say a prayer over your work before you start
thank the Lord for the abilities Heâs given you, ask Him to help you and guide you, seek His will for your life and endeavors, etc.
find one way to use your work to bless someone else
give a piece of your art as a gift, serve someone else with your talents/skills, make something to inspire or encourage someone, etc.
incorporate your creative work into your time with God
write a poem, story, or song based on Scripture, journal your thoughts or a Bible verse in an artistic way, listen to worship music as you work, etc.
Donât just do these things to do them. Do them (1) with your whole heart and (2) with the intention of changing the way you see your work. Before you start, write down your thoughts and feelings. Describe how you view your creative pursuits and how you may be struggling right now. Then come back a week later, after doing the three things above, and see if youâve changed. Write down how you feel now.
Youâre more than welcome to share your thoughts with me, if you'd like! Just reply to this email. And if thereâs any way I can help you specifically, please let me know. đ
In our next email, we'll address some common mindsets and struggles that prevent us from worshipping + how to overcome those specifically. In the meantime, take a moment to reflect on what worship really is and what our purpose is as God's people. How can you use your gifts, talents, hobbies, and more to fulfill your ultimate calling to make the name of God known in all the earth?
Thank you so much for sticking with me to the end of this month's email! I had two months of overdue newsletters to pack into one. đ I hope you've found at least something relevant and helpful to you, but if not, don't hesitate to let me know! I want this newsletter to serve and bless you, and to better accomplish that, I need to know what's on your heart and what you need in this season of life. đ«¶
I pray this September is full of peaceful productivity (because, yes, it is possible!) and rediscovering the beauty of everyday moments! (And cool weather. Lots of cool weather. Enjoy it for me. *sweats in 90+ degrees*)
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