September 18, 2016

Sunday Devotional With Mr. E: Purpose

Why do you create?  

The answer to this question drives the artist to create, impacts their work, and motivates them to continue onward when life may challenge them to do otherwise.  I've asked many artists/craftspeople over the years why they create, and I've gotten a novel's worth of answers.  "I come from a long line of creative people."  "I have been trained in ______, so that is why I do it."  "In creating, I've found my true voice."  "It keeps me out of trouble."  "I want to be famous"  "I can say things in my work I could never say otherwise."  .....and their are so many more responses!    However, the reason that always captures my attention the most..."I was born to create."  What an amazing, unshakable, specific purpose for one's life!  If you knew you were born to do something....what could get in your way of accomplishing your goals?  Sometimes people know such things from an early age.  Some may not discover it till later in their life.  No matter, when this purpose is established...it influences the choices in many areas of that person's life so that they may fulfill what they were born to do! Life does happen & can distract one from what they were meant to do, but if it truly is at the core of who they are....they will return to it.  

"For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish.  And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?" 
Esther 4: 14

The Book of Esther is one of my favorites in all of scripture.  If you have not read it....or read it recently....take some time to do so.  Esther is AMAZING!!!   We find Esther in an amazing position in this verse.  She has just become the queen...and her family/her people are being threatened.  Her cousin, Mordecai, asks her to consider the purpose of her position, and that it might be to save her family/her people.  Now I doubt we will ever find ourselves in such a dramatic situation, but we should consider our positions, purpose, and passions.  God allows us amazing opportunities to glorify Him, help others, encourage others, and make our world a better place utilizing our position, purpose, and passion!  We need to look at those God given things within us....because they were given for a reason!  I feel my teaching is my ministry.  I'm able to love & encourage so many through being a teacher.  It is something I was born to do(I have known since 1st grade that I wanted to be a teacher).

What about you?  Are you living out your purpose?  Has God placed you in a position/place that you might not yet have "seized" the opportunities?  You don't have to be a Queen like Esther....or a teacher!  You might be a neighbor, a friend, and artist, a customer.....if we see our lives as purposeful for God's purposes....He will use us!  

PRAYER
Lord...let me not only see the position, purpose, and passion you've placed in my life, but allow me to use it for your glory & honor!  May these things you've placed in me...made me...may I use them to make this world a better place!  
In Your Name, AMEN

4 comments:

  1. Thank you for sharing! I was born to create! And, although having being an. Artist for. Over 50 years, it wasn't until 2010, that I realized I was to create for Jesus!

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  2. I really liked this one Ted. A reminder to me of why I do what I do. I am called to be an Art Teacher and to have an influence. I love Esther.

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  3. Amen. This message resonates in me. Two years ago, I heard the musers at TAA repeatedly say that they had known that they were creators most of their lives. I have always known that I HAD to create things, AND be a teacher. Since I had to wait so long to be a "real" teacher, I found a way to teach and create something, visual art mostly. I have taught so in so many different venues. Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, VBS, Summer Art studio, OM, DI....the list goes on; I found a way. I LOVE being an artist!

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  4. I am an artist and I definitely feel born to create. I have been looking for an Art teaching job since 2009 but unable to find one. This year I finally got a job, but teaching Title 1 Reading in two nearby parochial schools. It wasn't my plan to teach Reading, since my passion is Art. But I am finding that it is a learning experience and one that will help me to grown in many ways. And I'm going to do my best to add some creativity to my Reading lessons whenever possible too. I still hope to teach Art again one day, but I was called to teach Reading this year, so I will be the best teacher that I can be. And who knows what creativity it might inspire in me during my own creative time in my studio.

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