“We do not want merely to see beauty . . . We want something else which can hardly be put into words – to be united with the beauty we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to become part of it.” – C.S Lewis

“Where no oxen are, the manger is clean, But much revenue comes by the strength of the ox.” Proverbs 14:4

As the week comes to a close, I can’t get over the love of God.  I know He waits for me before the sun rises and when I sit in my ‘vintage modern’ rocker, (a cute way to say a very old chair my neighbor gave me but is trendy right now), I am able to hear His heart about all the things that swirl in my ‘not-quite awake brain’.

There’s been so much madness in the world this past week.  I believe the necessity to have an inner life is the only way to navigate the insanity of all that goes on outside one’s windows.

My sitting has produced something I hadn’t planned for. From listening to and meditating on 2 Peter 1:3-4 all week, I am getting inspiration to create.  My focus has shifted from, “What can I make today to sell to make money to contribute to our income” to “Daddy, open my eyes to see how I can use my gifts to further YOUR kingdom, not my own because You have given me everything I need for life and living a godly life.”  This shift has been transformational because now when I look at my fabric piled on shelves in front of me, I don’t get discouraged or fearful.  I’m dreaming again, and as C.S. Lewis puts it, ‘receiving it into myself, bathing in it and becoming a part of it.’

Life is messy.  If one is to focus on one thing, other things must be let go of.  But I think there is a way to bring it all together under the umbrella of God’s assignment, even is one is crazy about a lot of things like photography, sewing, crocheting, designing, gardening, and animals! Those are a lot of passions and for so very long I have wondered if and how they might all work together to create a beautiful masterpiece of beauty.  It’s beginning to emerge for me as I’ve made some tough decisions and faced some things about myself.

I honestly believe I was a social media junkie.  Until I took it off my phone, I had no idea how much time I wasted, scrolling for some elusive ‘fix’ that never came…the eternal scroll.  The guru who invented that scrolling thing had me.  When I removed the apps from my phone, I began paying attention to the automatic urge I had to pick up my phone and check FB or Instagram…it’s not there now and the redemption of my time is beginning to show in the work I’ve been diligently doing as I mess my sewing room and my desk.  I am a much happier person.

On Tuesday, I ‘played’ in worm castings, removing worms and their eggs, transferred them to a clean home with new bedding.  Everyone is happy and I have a nice size bag of fertilizer I can use!

The garden is where I go each morning to be surprised at what’s bloomed, see how big the cukamelons or Tigger melons are!  It’s a place of delight and mystery.  It’s where I direct vines to climb away from plants they could otherwise choke, kill squash vine bores inside my zucchini plants and pick seeds for next season and for selling.  Because I want to share that area of my life with folks,  I sat with my son on Tuesday evening/night to discuss a logo for my ‘Green Thumb Genius’ website.  He did such a fantastic job!  Keep an eye out for my new site, which I’m hoping will be up and running next week.

Wednesday, I took shirts a friend had given me that were too big for her and I turned them into clothes for myself.  Funny thing is, I’d been asking God for clothes and all along they’d been sitting in a bag waiting on me to get creative.

That successful day encouraged me to continue to think outside the box.  I also have a bunch of men’s jeans and khaki pants so I wondered what I might do with them…make a jumper from Khaki pants?  Why not.  I did it under two hours and the sheer delight from being that creative made me realize how the Spirit was speaking and I was hearing.  Wednesday night, my mind exploded with ideas and Thursday, I started a project designing garden overalls!  From the khaki pants to making my own bias tape, taking the pockets from the pants and using everything possible, I am being creative like my Father who takes nothing and makes something.

We were designed to create.  What are you creating?

We are creatures who create like our Creator. But if we are to create successfully, we must know where our life comes from and who gets credit for all of it.  Anything less is a fraud and really won’t give us the satisfaction we long for and we’ll waste our time scrolling other people’s Facebook page, wishing we had what they have.  Real success is closeness to God and that’s one thing we can all have.

Have a fabulous weekend.