What is your art? That was the question Charlie Paparelli posed this morning. Charlie is what I would call a distant friend. He is one of the great minds in the Atlanta entrepreneurial ecosystem. We often met through High Tech Ministries, but I always considered him a rung above me; Charlie drew me in through his directness. He would ask the crucial, tricky question without sugarcoating it.
This question is one of those critical, challenging questions. What do you care so much about that you don’t care if other people find it acceptable? Charlie gave the example of his sister, who became a well-known artist in South Florida. Early on, when her art was still unpopular, Charlie asked why she didn’t paint more pictures that people liked as opposed to what she liked. Her answer was that she was an artist, not a commercial painter. What she did was deeply personal and important to her.
Proverbs 22:29 “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before obscure men.”
This concept got me thinking about my art. Now, pragmatic solutions and logic are my entire world. That is how God wired my brain. That type of personality doesn’t lend itself to natural creativity as one would traditionally think of creativity. Things like music, art, or poetry are not in my wheelhouse. So, what is my art?
Philippians 2:13, “For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
MY ART
For me, I would guess it is human potential. In my lifetime, I have met some extraordinary people. People who soar above me on eddies that I find unreachable. When I listen to great music, it brings me to tears at the beauty that one person can create. The emotion is so unfiltered I don’t know how they channel it. Sometimes, I find an artisan who created such an extraordinary piece that I want to gently slide my hand across the surface to feel the texture; the love that went into it is tactual. The greatness that humans are capable of is beyond my understanding. It reminds me that God put people on this earth to use their gifts to glorify Him, and that glorification takes us all to deeper meaning.
All the passion, talent, skills, and drive to create great things are gifts from God that we can use to honor Him or ourselves. The flaw I find in people who are never satisfied is that they are living for themselves, not their maker. They will never achieve their true potential until they use their God-given gifts to honor Him.
Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
I can’t say I care if self-absorbed people believe this or not. My reaction is the same as not believing in gravity; it doesn’t mean you can fly. You can go through life denying this and wander in an emotional desert, or readjust your thinking and have joy and contentment. It’s your choice.
True purpose and meaning do not come from the gifts God gave you but from the application of those gifts.
YOUR ART
So, what is your art? What are you so passionate about that you will not allow it to be diluted by those who disagree? Now, I realize that internal needs drive many of our passions. The need to be accepted or liked is a prime example. When we feel isolated, we become vulnerable to fake passions. These are passions driven by emotional needs, not God-given gifts.
Ephesians 4:12 “Christ gave these gifts to prepare God’s holy people for the work of serving, to make the body of Christ stronger.”
I want you to think about what you would continue to do even if all your friends thought you were crazy. It is quite the opposite of emotional codependence; you do it for yourself, not for anyone else. It is the thing that makes you quirky or illogical at times. Your art is also the one that brings you the most joy.
“Starve your distractions, feed your focus.” –Daniel Goleman
1 Corinthians 4:20, “For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.”
THE WRAP UP
We can wrap this back around to your calling. What is God driving you toward? I would suggest that your art is part of your calling.
Even small actions driven by passion can have a significant impact. Teaching, sharing, or simply being enthusiastic about what you love can create ripples that influence and benefit others in ways you might not immediately see.
“On the plains of hesitation bleach the bones of countless millions who, at the dawn of decision, sat down to wait, and waiting died”- George W. Cecil.
Do not allow the world to dampen your art, your passion. Do and be; don’t wait for others to come beside you.
Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
This is 1 of my favorite, of your blogs.
I suspect one of your “Arts” is writing! I read ALL of your posts. I have tried to send comments and thanks in the past, but I could not get the computer to open this up. Today, it is working for me. Today’s post is another wonderful word of encouragement. When I woke up this morning and saw the title of your new post, I knew I just had to read it IMMEDIATELY! It is wonderful.
We were together several years ago in teaching in Honduras.
I went to Kenya with Lawrence Turner and Larry Dudley a month ago for an IMED trip that used the BAM curriculum.
Behind our teaching compound, I heard a click-click sound that I could not identify. It was not birds and not machinery. It was eight adults sitting on the ground with hammers busting big rocks into little rocks all day long in the hot sun.
Our classroom was nearby where we were teaching business entrepreneurship to adults. What parent dreams of their children one day growing up to have a career of rock-busting all day long in the hot sun for maybe two USD a day at the most, I was told. And some of them had university degrees I was told by the local Masai chief who ran the Christian conference center.
I was struck dumb by the contrast!
Then the idea struck me!
Why don’t our adult students turn around and teach this business curriculum to their own children at an age-appropriate level starting when they are very young?
American parents want to teach their children how to manage money from allowances at very young ages.
Why can’t these simple basic business principles be taught to children to start their own non-profit service projects that are run using business principles?
American public education does not teach business entrepreneurship to students! I know after being a teacher in the system for 38 years. When students graduate, their mentality is that I need a JOB from someone else. It is a dependent mentality.
All this is to say that since that time, I am passionate about parents teaching their children business entrepreneurship from young ages. It has become my new ART! I was with Lawrence and Larry in India last summer for an ILAD trip.
We were teaching professors from a local Christian college and seminary this business strategy. They are now teaching it to ALL their students so that they can become more financially self-sufficient within an increasingly difficult spiritual context.
In both organizations, we mention the idea of teaching the strategy to others, but it is just in passing. It is not an essential element stressed from beginning to end.
Of all the students we teach, who more than others want their children to inherit this learning?
Jesus did not teach twelve men who might, maybe, if they thought about it, teach the “strategy/program” to others. That is a dead-end game. If our adult parents taught just their own children with a simple strategy, our efforts would be multiplied.
So, I have been working diligently on my new ART form! I am already applying it with two middle school students.
Your post inspired me to share this in more detail for the first time with anyone from ILAD or IMED.
I decided that if neither organization would be interested in this idea, then I would work on it alone by myself!
It is my new passionate ARTWORK for Jesus’ sake!
Thank you for all your meaningful work. Your words have a great impact on my life.
If you have any suggestions, I would be pleased to know them.
Please do NOT STOP what you are doing. It is making a difference in my life.