Nothing we do is one-dimensional. (typical INFJ'S. yes both of us)
Today we are talking about moving from guilt to passion.
Our passion for creativity and more than that the drive to consistently put our art out there, comes from our faith in God and how we view this.
Believers in God are not our target audience, we just want to promote good art and help other artists find the tools they need to keep working on their craft.
Today, just this once, we are going to share why we believe what we do, and how this enables us to get past guilt and other negative emotions, and live our passion, with all that we are.
Story Time
When I was a little girl, I was very bold in my faith. My first word was hallelujah, so that right there tells you the kind of environment I grew up in. My grandfather was a Reverend of the gospel, my parents were both very active in church and I was often invited to sing, at 3 years old standing on the tables at full gospel meetings, (complete with my little Laura Ashley dresses and little white ankle socks) I had no fear and this boldness in my faith continued right into my teens. Then in the space of a year when I was 14 disaster struck. The way I like to word this season of my life is this: Jesus gave me beauty for ashes. He took a broken little girl and turned her into a confident, strong woman. I choose not to talk too much about my testimony on this site but one thing that my experiences through this time taught me, I really do want to share with you today.
It is important to stand up for what you believe in but it is also important to be wise about how you do it.
Think of Queen Esther for example, she fed her man before telling him what she wanted, she didn't just spring it on him, and what's more, she took the time to fast and pray and seek wise counsel before she even got to the throne room.
For the sake of space, I am not going to give another example, but the bible is full of examples of people who understood that faith and walking with lady wisdom, go hand in hand. King Solomon is obviously the poster child of this, just check out Proverbs.
Sometimes, words are needed to communicate the message you are trying to get across, but most of the time, how you conduct your life is enough to show people there is something different about you.
I have learned that while there is a place for evangelism, when a person comes to you asking questions about your faith they are far more likely to actually let the seed grow within their hearts.
We do need to be careful about how we spend our time, if you are banging your head against the wall trying to get a stubborn loved one to see the sense of the gospel, then chances are their heart is just not ready to receive it and you would be much better off, just praying for them and focusing on the task that God has given YOU to do, even if that is to master your craft and release your art into this world.
Saving people, is kind of what God does, so you can leave your loved one in no better hands than His.
You don't need to feel guilty or responsible for the salvation of a loved one, no matter how close they are to you, you are not God, He alone can change hearts. Your job is to love them not try to change them love them as they are, pray and focus on the task God has given YOU to do.
Cast your cares on Him, then get back to work!
I have stated before that words are rarely needed to share the gospel, the same can be said for worship. In Luke 7 we meet a woman who used no words but worshiped Jesus with her actions. I am going to recommend John Grey: No Words Needed if your struggle with the guilt of things you have done, stands in the way of advancing your relationship with Jesus/God, even if that by advancing this relationship for you, simply means starting it. John Grey is a comedian, his words are gilded with grace, humour and joy and yet he is still able to communicate truth in a very down to earth way. ( don't be put off by the length of that message, how many rubbish movies have you wasted hours on, it could be 42 minutes to change your life, and if what you got going on right now isn't working then why not give it a chance)
The woman with the alabaster jar/box said nothing, but her actions spoke of worship and love for Jesus, He forgave her freely and showed her nothing but kindness, despite the fact the religious leaders of the day looked down on her because of what she was. She understood what it means to worship him, but no words were needed to do this and she was accepted just the way she was.
