Look. Listen. Dream.
We can’t control the outcomes of our work.
We don’t get to decide how people will respond to us.
. . . Give the gift,
and surrender the rest.
~Rob Bell, in Everything Is Spiritual.
Such good stuff here. Curated especially for you.
We’ve all had the experience of carefully planning our day only to have everything go haywire. No matter how hard you try, obstacles arise that prevent you from doing what you need to. Mistakes get made. Flights are missed. Deadlines are unmet. Your to-do list grows instead of getting checked off. It’s frustrating.
Then you’re faced with redoing your task or at least correcting the errors. So much more time-consuming than anticipated. You might have to change your schedule, work late, get someone else to pick up your kids from school, buy take-out for dinner. Bummer.
But sometimes you do something by accident, and it turns out better than you’d expect. Maybe you get lost, and the person you ask for directions ends up becoming your new best friend—or your spouse. Or you misspell a word, and the typo makes you think of an amazing twist for the story you’re writing. Or you load your brush with too much water, and the way your colors run together changes the way you continue your watercolor painting.
Maybe these random events are not as unplanned as they seem. Maybe they are orchestrated by your own subconscious, or by God, or by your muse. Sometimes it’s beneficial to just go with the flow and see where it leads you rather than forcing things to go your way or starting over from scratch.
There’s even a name for these happy accidents—serendipity, which is defined by Merriam-Webster as the phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for.
Inventors and health researchers occasionally stumble on discoveries and new technologies by accident. Artists, musicians, and authors often give examples of serendipity when discussing their processes. Friends have told me of having an unexpected repair they have no way of paying, only to get a surprise refund check in the mail for the exact amount they need.
Some people say everything happens for a reason. Maybe it’s true, maybe not. But when you’ve been given a situation that’s not your first choice, maybe it’s worth it not to react too quickly. Breathe. Wonder. Let possibilities present themselves.
Related reading: More discoveries made by accident.
Now it’s your turn. Have you ever experienced serendipity? Does it ever surface in your work? Share in the comments below.
Oh, is it Friday already? So sorry I’m late!
Interesting ideas.
I’ve been introspective lately, thinking about big topics, such as the presence of God in our lives. I want to be a person who is led by God, and I’m having trouble hearing Him. This would normally be a topic for my Religion and Politics page, but I’m going to leave it here, in the main part of my blog, because it’s also related to creativity.
God is the Creator, and He made us in His image. That means that to a certain lesser extent, we are creators also. We’re cooks and builders and artists and inventors. We make stuff.
I believe my ideas come from God, but sometimes I don’t know what to do with them. I’ve come to a dead stop on some of my books because I know they have the potential to be so much more than they are, and I don’t know how to get them there. I need God to show me what His plan for my work is. I want to catch His vision. I want to plug into His creative power, but I don’t know how to access it. Where is it? Can I reach it with my mind? Or is it deeper still? Is it in my heart? My soul? My spirit?
I’ve prayed about it, and waited quietly for an answer, but it’s been months and I haven’t heard anything yet. And so I wonder.
A book I’ve been reading with my Bible study group mentioned that the soul knows when you’re on the wrong path. I feel like I’m on the wrong creative path and I’m searching for the right one, but I’m so lost. I sensed a whisper that I should define soul, so I’m following a rabbit trail trying to get a handle on it.
Is my soul the same thing as my spirit? I googled the difference between soul and spirit, and one of the articles that came up looked at scripture for answers.
1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (NIV).” The way the sentence is structured in the original Greek infers that we are made up of three distinct parts: spirit, soul, and body.
Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (NIV).” You can divide the soul from the spirit just as you can separate joints from marrow; they are two distinct things. But they are also intertwined; it takes something sharper than a double-edged sword to separate them. Have you ever tried to sever a chicken leg joint in order to cook or serve dinner? It helps to have a sharp knife, but even that isn’t enough by itself; you really need good technique not to botch it up. Why? Because it isn’t designed to come apart easily. It would not be beneficial to the chicken for her legs to come off with ease. The word of God divides soul and spirit. What does that even mean?
Glory Dy, the author of the article I read, says “The soul is basically our mind, our emotions, and our will. It is who we are as human beings.” When I tried to define soul in my Zoom Bible study on Monday, I said it is our true self, our essence. I’m not sure I have it nailed down.
In contrast, Dy says, spirit is where we experience God. It is how we connect to the divine.
I’m sorry that my post today raises more questions than it answers. I’m not being very helpful today. If you have insights on the soul and/or the spirit, please feel free to share in the comments.
More thoughts on soul vs. spirit.
A dozen articles to inspire you this weekend.
