We have just come through a very tough year. Even though ‘quarantine’ is behind us, many of us—me included—are still a little paralyzed. After all, how do you go through a whole year plus of running out of binges to watch, not having gyms to thin out our growing frames, and not knowing what is coming next?
The funny thing is, we have never known what comes next in life; no human ever has. It’s just that recently, it was brought to our attention that anything can happen at any time.
As an artist, I didn’t get a whole lot done during covid. I mean, I outlined and wrote rough drafts of two novels, but art-wise, I only did a few pieces and, in my opinion, they were weak.
If you’ve ever broken a bone, you know what your arm or leg looks like when you get it out of a cast. It’s all thin and pale and peeling. That’s what happened when I broke my right wrist in first grade. My right hand is my drawing hand so, while I didn’t realize the implications of not having use of it so early in life, now, after decades of using it, it is as strong as ever.
Bones grow back stronger after they’re broken.
We may not feel strong right now. We are in weird times, also known as the end times. More strange things are to come. But for a lot of us, this time has allowed us to refocus, discover we needed to change our lives, see what’s important and realize we don’t have forever on this earth. The time is now to do what you’re called to do. And I say that to myself, too.
A limb just out of a cast needs to be carefully exercised.
It’s tempting to just keep sitting around like we did in quarantine, but God didn’t create us to sit around. He can’t steer a boat that’s dead in the water.
A professor of mine used to say that when you don’t feel like creating, put the canvas/paper/clay, whatever in front of you and do something. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. When you do that, without putting the added pressure on yourself of ‘is this going to sell?’ or ‘I have to do this perfectly’, some amazing things can happen.
Sometimes pieces you never thought you would create, march out of the ether of your mind and onto that canvas—or whatever your profession is—and you have a whole new direction in your work or life, and with it, excitement.
Sometimes it doesn’t come out like you think. That forward motion still takes you somewhere. Possibly to your next place. It also lifts your mind out of its fog or depression, for the moment.
Times and the news and the world will keep getting weird and will keep throwing us curve balls. Push past your feelings and go do something. Make that art. Write that story. Even if it’s only a sketch, or a paragraph of text. Before you know it, you’ll be moving somewhere exciting and hopeful.
Philippians 2:13 : ‘For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.”
