Don't you love this little angel? The message she carries, in case you find it difficult to read, is "Create," and she is giving some very good advice. She occupies a place of prominence in my home, just like her message occupies a place of prominence in my heart.
As a wise man (President Uchtdorf of my church) once said in a talk entitled Happiness, Your Heritage: "The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before." I would add that we also have an inherent capacity to fulfill that wish.
Surprisingly, however, many women of my acquaintance are convinced that they have no ability to create at all. "I'm not the creative type," they insist. "I can't draw, paint, write, sing, craft, or decorate. In fact, when it comes to creativity, I am hopeless. I am completely without talent of any kind."
I beg to differ! First of all, no one is without talent of any kind, and anyone who thinks she is needs to look within and do a little excavating. I'm quite sure she will uncover something of interest and value. (Maybe even a few gold nuggets!)
For the skeptics, this little story backs me up: There is a myth in Hinduism that tells of the upset experienced by the gods after they created humans. They were afraid that this cocky species would discover divine truth and that people would then become gods themselves. To avoid being overtaken by upstarts, the gods tried to figure out where they might hide the truth out of humans’ reach. If they hid it in the treetops, a person could climb there. If they hid it at the bottom of the sea, someone would dive down to discover it. The cleverest finally suggested, "Let us hide the truth deep inside every individual. That is one place they’ll never look.”
The moral of this story? We need to look. Just look inside ourselves, and do it with the expectation of finding something...a spark of that divine inheritance that is creativity. It's there. (I've even seen it!) And so can you.
Only a few of us are going to be concert musicians, literary geniuses, or gifted artists...but every single one of us is creating something every day, hour, and minute of our lives. Whether we create a meal, a home, a new way to do something, a friendship, a mood, a company, a garden, or a blog, we are exercising the art of bringing into being an entity that didn't exist before. Why? Because it feels good. Because we can't help ourselves. Because it's who we are.
And this little angel helps me remember that.
=)
15 comments:
so so so so true!
oh wow, that made me a little weepy (in a good way), that was so beautifully said Sue!
That post is wonderful! I loved the message by Pres.Uchtdorf. It has taken me a while to discover my own creativity.
I really enjoy your writings and think you should create a book. Hugs to you! LeAnn
She is a sweet angel. I used to be one of those people who thought I had no creative talents. I still struggle with creativity on my own, but I've learned I am great at following directions! Which allows me to follow patterns very easily and create the things I make. It does make me happy when I finish something, I always feel very proud of my work and creations.
P.S I love Pres. Uchtdorf. I love listening to him speak. He always has such a good message.
So true, Sue. As one who is able to paint and who is musical, let me say this: one of the most amazing talents I've ever been jealous of is the talent of always knowing the right thing to say or do. That talent "creates" a sweet spiritual mood like nothing else can. I always watch those people and try to learn. (Did you know I'm watching you?) :-)
Thanks, LeAnn. Since I don't have your email address, I will respond here.
I'm glad you enjoy my writing! I do have three books, but they are all out of print now, though some are still available on the internet. One of them (Awaken Your Spiritual Power: The Fairy Godmother Isn't Coming, ©1997) has a chapter on this very subject.
Also, I am working on a collection of my Christmas stories and poems and will keep you updated on that.
=)
I remember a talk by Sherri Dew that goes along this same line. She asked if we had ever given a gift to someone and have it fall flat...not appreciated at all..how did it feel? She compared it to how our Heavenly Father feels when we state:"I have no talent, I wasn't given anything good"...I don't create in the same way as someone else, but I do have gifts and everyday I try to open them...sometimes they are the same ones as the day before, but occasionally I find a new one that I had never opened before, or even knew it was hiding there! That is called a "surprise" and that's what life it about..finding surprises in everyday life.
How true...sometimes it's just the right word or a smile that can help others get through the day a little better. And then we are a little better for it too!! :-)
I echo everyone else--I just like hanging out here :0)
Thanks to you and your angel for bringing us such a sweet, important message.
xoRobyn
I love how you put things. Thank you for such wisdom.
I was just think of that talk a couple of days ago, that I need to read it again. Thanks for the link!
What a sweet little angel.
The older I get the more I want to create. I think when my sons were growing and at home, everything was so high maintenance. Now I can think uninterrupted...well sort of. Now I am finding there is so much I want to do, to learn and create!
I like your angel, and I like your post. Everyone has talent, some maybe more than others, but we just have to find and develop our own.
That talk really struck me. I wasn't big into crafting or creating much at the time, but since I seem to have been bit by that little craft bug. And That is my word for next year. Create. And that little angle is absolutely beautiful!
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