When I doubt...The Lord always sends me a sign to keep going. One day it might be a good friend checking on me and the next it may be a family that needs my hands to express their grief. I may get down but He doesn't let me stay there.
~Kalee
Kalee is a friend and a florist. God had nudged me to check on her a few weeks ago. She felt like she could share with me what she had been facing. During this COVID period, I had thought about the medical workers and those hit hardest with sickness. I did not think about our florists whose gifts beautify celebrations of life for families and visually supports them during these heartbreaking times. God has helped our florists to be able to give continuous support in honor of loved ones with their artistry given by God for His glory and love for his people.
This week I read a devotional email that shared how we are all called to bring creativity and passion into our work. It reflects what I have seen in my life and work in that I feel that I am most creative when I think of someone else. God has often used creating something or arranging something as a way for me to grieve for that person and let it be a type of representation of that love in grief.
The devotional goes on to say, "Contemplating a piece of work, we do better to think Whom is this work for? Whom will it serve? rather than How will it serve me? Once we find a path for our work to be of service . . . then our work goes smoothly forward. It is not about “us” anymore. . . . [Richard here: I believe all work can be a work of art if done with both devotion and genuine creativity!]"
In Exodus 28:3, God says, “Tell all the skilled workers to whom I have given wisdom in such matters that they are to make garments for Aaron, for his consecration, so he may serve me as priest.” I believe the wisdom which He gives us to create whatever it is that we can create and have the heart to create, we create by Him. The wisdom to be skilled to do something positive and helpful is a blessing. Also in the verse, it is someone skilled who helps someone else to serve God in a specific role. I believe that this means if you can make cupcakes and feel led to take them to nurses, that is utilizing one of your gifts from the Lord to help others serve Him.
Let us continue to follow God's nudges. They are there for a reason. We may continue to grieve, and we can find ways to eventually let it flow out in beautiful ways. We won't forget those who suffer. Sometimes it is letting God flow through us in all these small different ways that makes a tiny bit of difference. That ripple may be just enough to change the world. I will leave you with a quote by Mother Teresa, "Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love."
Excerpt from Richard Rohr's Daily Meditation featuring: Julia Cameron, Walking in This World: The practical Art of Creativity (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam: 2002).
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