Last week I introduced a mini series of posts based on A Million Little Ways: Uncover the Art You Were Made to Live by Emily P. Freeman. Today I’m posting a list of quotations that urge us to consider our unique gifts and callings. I hope they make you slow down and think deeply.
“As you move to the rhythm of the Spirit of God, what is within you that you can now give to someone else? Not for the glory of yourself, but as a person who bears the image of God in the world. What are those things in the deepest part of who you are, the personalities and desires and unique blending of history and circumstance and longing – what is most alive in you as you are united with Christ that you can now pour out as an offering unto God for the benefit of others?”
“Everyone has their own unique passions as well as their distinct burdens. We are responsible to pay attention to what moves us and respond in faith. The body of Christ grows when each member gives what they have to give – that applies not only to our gifting but also to our burdens. What breaks your heart might not break mine. You are not responsible to convince me to change, you are responsible to be generous in the areas you feel called to.”
“We have to be confident enough in our decisions that a narrowed eye from a fellow parent doesn’t sway us, that pressure from a leader at church doesn’t force our hand, that a harsh but well-intended word from a relative doesn’t derail our priorities. Don’t let the easily offended critic set the agenda. Believe in your yes. Hold fast to your no.”
“When we are trying to do too many things at once, we can’t move into the world as we fully are because we simply don’t have time – we aren’t living, we’re surviving, from one thing to the next. Whether it’s creating a chapter of a book or a quiet conversation, trying to do too many things at once is one of my biggest obstacles to living artfully.”
“The more personal you are with your art, the more generally it applies to those who are there to receive it. It seems counterintuitive, I know. Add more of yourself to your work – more of your personality, preferences, and desire. Reject your fear of scarcity, of sharing and competition. Instead, delight us with what you have to offer. Choose generosity and share the unique shape of your design. Offer yourself as you are, not as you wish you were. The more we see you, the more we’ll see ourselves.”
Any thoughts you’d like to share?
(In a couple of weeks we’ll take a look at obstacles we face, like limits, fear, and criticism. Stay tuned.)
Whenever I read this type of book lately, I’m afraid they’ll ask me to add things to my life. To be more (something), or think more (some way), or do more… and I don’t have time for that! I like what EF says about being generous in your own way, instead of in someone else’s way.
(Of course we have to be careful about rejecting counsel from others, because our own hearts aren’t exactly the best leaders, hah)
I’m reading “The Life-Giving Home” by Clarkson right now, and finding it so discouraging, because she paints a beautiful picture of a life-giving home, in which the mom cares for her people with cups of tea and classical music and soft throws on the furniture. It’s such a beautiful picture, and so impossible for me right now. The throws are actually currently in the laundry because of an Incident…
So, I am intrigued by this book. It would be nice to be encouraged to be generous in the areas I actually like and am strong in.
Have you read “The Hidden Art of Homemaking?” It has a similar message.
I think you would like Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World by Emily Freeman. She’s good at emphasizing our need to slow down and focus on Christ, rather than giving us a list of more things to do. I haven’t read her first book, Grace for the Good Girl: Letting Go of the Try-Hard Life, but I like the sound of it. If you like home-decorating with a Christian perspective you might like her sister’s book The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful. I’ll have to find a copy of The Hidden Art of Homemaking; thanks for mentioning it.
Just a heads up that Edith Shaeffer’s book is a bit too wordy. It’s has awesome content, but you will wish she had a ruthless editor.
I have actually read Grace for the Good Girl. I remember disliking it; maybe it will be better the next time around.
I especially liked the following thoughts in this article:
1. Watch that we are really living, not just surviving
2. Watch that we do not succumb to pressure from another and end up outside God’s will for us
3. I should ask myself..what can I pour out as an offering unto God that is within my gifts, income and time and has no connection with what anyone else may have done.
Yes! I’m glad you found some useful insights.