Thursday, June 11, 2009

You shame the angels...

Are you a born writer? Were you put on earth to be a painter, a scientist, an apostle of peace?
In the end the question can only be answered by action.

Do it or don't do it.

It may help to think of it this way. If you were meant to cure cancer or to write a symphony or crack cold fusion and you don't do it, you not only hurt yourself, even destroy yourself. You hurt your children. You hurt me. You hurt the planet.

You shame the angels who watch over you and you spite the Almighty, who created you and only you with your unique gifts, for the sole purpose of nudging the human race one millimeter farther along its path back to God.

Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being in it. Don't cheat us out of your contribution. Give us what you've got.

From "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield

7 comments:

Michael McMullen said...

Ouch.

Thank you.

Daniel said...

What planet does this guy live on?? :)

Unknown said...

The earth God dreams of...

Daniel said...

I enjoyed the last paragraph the most. It's encouraging to think people might actually want we we got. Not what we don't got.

Daniel said...

what we got :)

Julie M said...

Wow and, yes, ouch...

Thank you for nudging me one millimeter closer to fulfilling my purpose toward God.

Anonymous said...

"Creative work is not a selfish act or a bid for attention on the part of the actor. It's a gift to the world and every being it it. Don't cheat us out of your contribution" Often times if your gift is grown in the church, you are taught humility, and rightly so. But, as I've gotten older I realize it can become a cloak that actually hides the full potential of your unique gift. Sometimes I feel this weird tension. Not sometimes...all the time now the last several years.
Thank you for reminding me that gifts are meant to be shared and grown.
Love you! - The Wife LeeElla