Unwrapped

“The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work.” George Bernard Shaw

Oh my, this quote really bugs me. A lot.

When I was a little girl it drove me nuts knowing that my parents had wrapped Christmas gifts hidden somewhere in the house. But it drove my sister crazy nuts. I didn't snoop because I liked the element of surprise. Then there's my neighbor who wraps gifts so beautifully that you don't even want to open them! But after all, it's about what's inside, right? So the unwrapping is essential to "receiving" the gift.

Okay, say you shopped for hours, even days, searching for that perfect gift for your friend, spouse, child, or parent. You know the giftee well so you know he will enjoy the gift you have for him. Meticulously, you wrap the gift nicely and place a matching bow on top with a card- to: you ~ from: me. The special day approaches and you can NOT wait to see his face as he rips though the paper exposing the well planned gift inside. Most the time, the gifter is MORE excited than the giftee!!! Then as the giftee uses the gift he thinks dearly of the one who gave it to him. It bring much pleasure to the gift giver knowing the giftee uses and enjoys the gift.

This is what I believe God, the gift giver, feels like when we, the giftees, use the divine gifts He's given us. But how many of us have a gift, the creative gift, just sitting there, unopened on the shelf, collecting years of dust. Don't you ever wonder what's inside? Have you asked yourself why you haven't unwrapped it? Again, a gift has not been fully received until it's been unwrapped and integrated into your life.

Back to why Mr. Shaw's quote bugs me so much...yes, artists have a gift (we all have the ability to create because we are made in the image of God, the master Creator) ~ it's not that part that bugs me. It's the second part, "but the gift is nothing without work." Ouch. Monet, Picasso, Ansel Adams, and even Mr. Shaw himself, were people (like you and me) who a gift was given. But they didn't allow it to collect dust, unopened. No, they did the hard work to unwrap that gift and explore it in detail.

I'm not saying that every person will become famous artists like those guys, but I do believe we have been given a creative gift. And I know it's hard to unwrap and explore it, speaking from personal experience. But inside my heart I feel a longing to discover and develop the creative gift. I don't want to leave God's gift to me sitting alone on a shelf. But sometimes I'm such a bleep'n chicken and do not know why. Can you relate to that feeling?

Why is developing our creative voice so scary for some and so easy for others... well, that will be a post for another day.

Until then, may you (and I) live courageously in exploration of the creative gift given to us from the most divine Gift Giver of all.

grace & peace ~ deAnn