Working with the muse, becoming more creative, looking for peace... I need more peace

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We're going through a series called "Your Creative Peace: Finding and Deepening Your Creative Voice While Connecting with God"

                     All of my creativity books are available on Etsy - click the pic to see the selection

 

Over the next few weeks, I will teach you ways to reach in and dig deep to find your creative voice and how to use that knowledge to connect to the events that are going on in your life right now.  Basically it's a way to take what's going on in your life and center yourself to really find peace at your core and then to really explore what it is you need to be doing and perhaps changing in your life so you can create peace.  Ultimately, you will find a steadfast sense of being in the midst of your life and in the midst of any circumstance you're facing.

One day stands out in particular as the absolute breaking point for this type of empty living that I was experiencing. I was celebrating my daughter's third birthday.  My husband was deployed to Kuwait with the Navy so communication between the two of us was incredibly random, meaning during the first three months he was away we talked on the telephone one time and I received about one email a week.   My daughter had breathing problems during this time.  It had been going on since she was born.  On this particular day she was having a hard time. Also, I went outside of our apartment to find that my car had a flat.  The weather was dreary and overcast.  One by one the guests of the party were cancelling due to sickness and the weather issues.  I had spent way too much money for a party I was not even interested in throwing.  I felt all alone.  

The party happened.  I made my way home feeling unheard by God but also feeling desperate because there was nowhere else to turn.  I put my daughter to bed.  I went in the living room, turned out all the lights, laid on the floor and cried.  I kept crying and I remembered pleading, begging with words like, "God I can't take this!  You've got to do something in my life.   I'm alone and feel desperate for something ANYTHING to feel that my identity is valuable to you!  I have nowhere else to go Lord..."

 

John 6 68: Lord, to whom shall we go?   You have the words of eternal life

So I prayed the prayer that night and I went to bed with that feeling of being heard but no real idea of what was coming next...

Has there been a time in your life where change was occurring in a way that was unexpected?  Are you in a place right now where change is inevitable or unavoidable? What does change look like to you and in what area of your life specifically do you need change to happen?

Looking at the following verses you will see some examples of "suddenly" moments.  As you look at them, take some time today to just sit quietly and look at your life through the reflection of these verses:

Genesis 37:7

Numbers 16:42 

Judges 14:5

2 kings 2:11

Job 11:9

Proverbs 28:18

Isaiah 48:3

Daniel 5:5

Acts 2:2  and Acts 9:3

Do you currently have a creative outlet that you allow yourself to use as a time for worship?  What has that activity done for you personally and in dealing with your life circumstances? How much time are you able to devote to this particular activity?
 

Have you considered trying a new artistic medium and if so what things do you need to do to begin exploring this and what roadblocks are in the way?

finally describe the last time you let yourself play?

 

 If you are looking for a lovely journal to work through these questions and to invite out into nature I highly recommend Katie Daisy's journals.  You will be delighted with the beauty and the quality find within its pages.

 

 

Over the next few days,  I came up with this idea: I need a a hobby! I went to a retail chain craft store in my area and roamed up and down the aisles.  My eyes fell upon this kids make a crocheted scarf kit and suddenly remembered that my mom taught me some basic crochet stitches when I was little.  So I purchased the kit and FOUR MONTHS LATER I had completed a scarf.  Yes, that's right four months later.  Can anyone attest to the fact that trying something new is hard?  I was so proud of myself.  I began to crochet another scarf.  In the midst of this, I reconnected with a former co-worker who wanted to tap into her background as an artist.  So we decided to meet on a regular basis.  And every week, I would make a scarf.

 (Here is another super cute journal if you are looking for a 5x7 size travel journal)

Once I mastered the pattern I was using. I bought a book on making hats and took a class to help with reading a pattern.  Yeah I'm still kind of hesitant when it comes to reading a pattern.  One day I got my first visit from "the muse" - I had a vision for a tote bag.  Now I do not know how to sew which I knew was part of the process in making this tote bag.  I could only partially understand the pattern.  Then I came across something that was similar to this type of project that at this point was simply a flash of a picture in my head.  But I kept going.  Could I really do it? 18 hours later (no not all in one sitting) Success!

I actually made that tote bag.  I felt a bit crazy but validated and euphoric and also calm.  I was experiencing that maybe a new connection with God had begun.  Soon I began to think more about God as a creator.  I began to consider how I might be creative just like Him.

 

 

 

Sewing kits are a fun way to ease back into a creative practice.  You will experience many benefits experienced in meditation.

Psalm139:15 "you know me inside and out you know every bone in my body you know exactly how I was made;  bit by bit how I was sculpted from nothing into something"
 

Spend some time thinking about this verse, allowing it to penetrate all areas of your life at this time.
 

What do you think about this idea of the muse?   How does it display itself in a christian's life?
 

Have you ever had a muse experience?  Was it a recent experience?  Is it a regular experience?   If this has not happened to you before, do you believe it's possible?   Do you believe it's possible for you?

Looking for a new bible?  I really enjoy this version because it integrates the information found in a concordance and add the conversational tone of connecting with a close friend.

 

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