Mother Martha's Monday Meditation |
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| February 12, 2007 | ||
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: "Come, go down to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was working at his wheel...Then the word of the Lord came to me: Can I not do with you, O house of Israel, just as the potter has done? says the Lord. Just like the clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. Jeremiah 18:1-3, 5-6 Our Inquirer's Classes just spent a session with this portion of scripture from Jeremiah. In class, we were thinking back to how God has created and formed us again and again in our lives. Each one of us is a work in progress with God. Yet creativity is not just God's domain. We humans are given gifts to create as well. Creativity is an important part of who we are. When I take some time away from work and have some time to myself, all my creative projects that have been laid aside come to my mind. I have many unfinished projects---half-knit sweaters, quilt squares, patterns and fabric, paint and brushes. Oh for the days when art was a part of my school schedule! (and that goes for PE too--but that's another meditation!) Creative pursuits are something that I love---I can lose myself in an art project for hours. Yet, I wonder, why do I save my creative pursuits until I have some vacation? Why do I relegate them to some unclaimed free day (ha!) in the future? If creativity gives me life, why don't I make time for it each day? Why isn't it part of my schedule like it was in school? In her book Living Artfully , local artist Sandra Magsamen notes that adults used to have plenty of cretivity in their lives: In traditional cultures, art was integral to life; it wasn't kept separate from daily activities. In fact, there was not always even a word for art. Objects were created in the service of living, not to hang in museums. Utensils were carved or forged for use in farming or cooking, fabric was woven for warmth, pottery was creafted for serving and storing food, and stories were told to pass on history, values, and ideas. Art was woven into the fabric of everyday life, not to be defined as good or bad, and so it was personal; it was authentic. If you grandmother and mother made quilts, for example, it was probably because the family needed them. Making them with your own two hands for loved ones to use was meaningful in a way that working in a high-powered job and earning enough to buy a thousand-dollar comforter was not. ( Living Artfully , pp. 28-29) Now this meditation is not meant to make you feel guilty and force you into cramming one more thing into your already full life. It is meant to nudge you to think about your life as creativity and art in itself. Just as God is continually molding us each and every day, so we mold the life we live. I think Sandra says it so well: There is great power in Living Artfully, and the smallest effort can yield positive results. Greeting the people in your life with a big smile sets a caring tone...Walking an elderly neighbor's newspaper from the curb to her front door on a rainy day is a gesture of kindness. Tucking in a few freshly picked flowers from the yard in someone's mailbox as a surprise...Take a moment for yourself, too. Slow down, hear the birds sing, smell the rain (or the snow!), see the flowers open to the sun. Taste life. Each of these gestures is a small acknowledgment that will resonate and multiply. Simple artful acts break through the chaos of your days, infusing them with a gentle order. Time slows and the people you touch will feel inclined to pass along these newfound sense of happiness. (Living Artfully , pp. 37-38) Creativity comes to each of us. Some of us can draw or paint or sew; others can garden or clean or do chores with a sense of style. Some of us can write or design webpages or organize a spreadsheet! We all are creative. And when we are creative, life's chaos is cleared for a time and we see the gentle order of things. This week--especially if you have a snow day---create! And for those of us with all those unfinished projects hidden in the guest room closet, remember that God takes a lifetime to mold us--day by day, week by week, year by year. It doesn't have to be done in one day. Text: Jeremiah 18:1-6 Pondering: How has God molded you through the years? What gifts are molded into you to create life for yourself and those around you? What creative act has been satisfying of late, bringing a gentle order to the chaos of your days? In Christ, |
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