Looking Inward

I must guiltily admit that I secretly paid attention in chapel this morning. When I sat down at nine-thirty and found out that the man speaking was a poet and the head of the English department at the University of Missouri, I was instantly hooked. It probably has something to do with my secret (well, not anymore) ambition to be an English major. Reading novels, analyzing literature and obviously writing, present much more of an appeal to me than studying the dihybrid cross of Drosophila or the various reactions of alcohols, alkenes, and benzene rings. Where was I going with all of this? Oh yes, chapel this morning. While he wasn't exactly the most eloquent of speakers, but he did have some interesting ideas and advice for us Grove City College students.

As God's creation, made in His image, it is natural to assume that we are a creative people. That being said, for what purpose do we put our creative abilities to use? Whether you are writing poems, painting pictures, dancing, or singing (this is not an exhaustive list), what or rather whom are you doing these things for? The everyday modern American would be hard pressed not to admit that they do these things in hopes that they might have an effect on other people. Do you really paint a masterpiece or write a novel thinking, "Wow! These ideas of mine have had a profound impact on my own life!"? I know that I wouldn't. We do many of these things in hopes that we can gain recognition from others, make them think, and have an impact on them. Or if you are a Grove City College student you may answer my first question with the overzealous response of, "I do all of these things to glorify Jesus Christ!" If you can honestly say that all of your creative tasks are done solely for that purpose with no alternate agenda, I commend you. I am not however, about to preach to you the message of glorifying the Lord with all of our daily tasks. (This is important, don't get me wrong. It's just not the point I am working to prove.)

When was the last time that you took a step back and let your work infiltrate your own life, your own way of thinking, rather than fantasizing about what it is doing for others? Believe it or not, we are allowed to do that. God gave us these gifts, yes to serve others, but also so that He can teach us about ourselves through them! When we take the time to evaluate all that we have done I think we are going to find that our work affects ourselves much more than it will anybody else. Through our gifts, talents and creativity, God can reveal to us aspects of ourselves that we never may have found had we not taken the time to look inward at what He is doing. So on that note, I encourage you to take the time and evaluate what your strengths are and explore the areas that God has blessed you.

I don't know what is up with me lately, but sitting down and telling you about the happenings of my life seems trivial when I can write about ideas that may truly have meaning. Going off of the theme I just finish talking about, I am grateful for the ability to get my ideas down somewhere that I can come back and reflect upon them. I might make it a point to come back and re-read some of my posts to keep these thoughts and challenges close to my heart and fresh in my mind.