What If?

Among the piles of papers filed, stacked, and stashed in my office is a tiny article I printed off the E! Online web site a few years ago. The article tells about a man named Carlo Little, who the following day would be selling hot dogs outside of Wembley Stadium in England during a Rolling Stones concert. Nothing particularly interesting about that piece of information, until you learn that Carlo Little once played drums for the Rolling Stones. In fact he quit the band shortly before they got the big break that led Mick, Keith, and the rest of the band to stardom.

No one except Mr. Little knows whether he regrets his decision to leave or not. Speaking as a writer and an artist, I can tell you that such an experience would be a killer for me. What if I had stuck it out one more week? What if I hadn't given up?

"What if"... two words I hope that I never look back on my life and say. "What if" stands for missed opportunity, for dreams not pursued, for risks not taken because we did not want to step out of our comfort zone. "What if" is worse than failure. Before we can fail, we have to take a chance on success. "What if" happens when you never give yourself the chance to succeed or fail.

Recently, I had a discussion with a close friend and fellow writer in which she confided in my just such a fear. I can personally vouch for my friend's talent. If I have a script that needs some extra punch, especially comedy, I place it in her capable hands. Over the past year she has pitched several wonderful ideas for movies, stories, and plays to me. Yet none of then have developed past the ideas stage.

What's holding her back? Fear. Simple, honest fear of what other people will say, and how she will be judged for the art she creates. She truly believes in her ideas, yet she can never bring herself to a point to take a risk and let anyone see them, on page or on the stage.

What a tragedy if fear keeps her from ever sharing her talents with the world. I say that not simply because I am a fan and love her work. I say that because God made her to be an artist, and if she never shares her creations with the world, she denies God the ability to use her talents.

I'm sure you know the parable of the talents. Three servants were given talents by their master before the master departed on a trip. Upon his return, the servants who invested their talents were rewarded, while the one who wasted his single talent had his taken away. I don't think it's by accident that the word "talent" was used. In the context of the parable, it represented money. But to us, it means so much more.

Anyone who creates art - prose, poetry, playwriting, movie making, sculpture, painting, drawing, dance, etc. - does so in imitation of God. The first thing we know about God is that He is creative. He created the whole world and everything in it. And when we create, we are children imitating our father, creating our own little worlds that reflect what God has brought to be in this one.

What's more, we live in a time when art is a central part of our society. Never before have people had so much leisure time, and much of that time is spent in front of the TV, at the movies, listening to the radio, or reading. Whether searching for inspiration or just an escape, people turn to art far more than they turn to the church and stodgy old preachers pounding on pulpits. Now more than any time in history, Christians have the opportunity to impact this world with art!

But it can never happen unless we share that art. In his book My Utmost for His Highest Oswald Chambers states that when a Christian learns something, be it from scripture, sermon, or simple Divine revelation, he or she should write down that knowledge in their own words. By doing so, the knowledge becomes personal. It means something more to you when you rephrase it, either in simple journaling or in some artistic creation. Once that inspiration becomes personalized, you can then share it with someone else. They too can then summarize the knowledge gained from you, and pass it on.

"But what if it's no good?" you ask. First of all, you'll never be able to say your work is no good unless you put it out on display for others to make a judgment on it. Second, no rule exists stating that you can't go back and revise or correct something after you've released it. Star Wars creator George Lucas has proved that by continually revising and changing the original Star Wars movies over the past number of years. And third, if the art is less than your best, there's no better way to find and correct the flaws than to give your work an audience. It's how we grow and learn as artists.

There's simply no excuse for not sharing what you create. If you have a passion for writing, painting, or creating in any way, that is a gift from God. And like all talents given by our Master, God intends for these gifts to be used in His service. Our place is not to question our abilities or to ask how God can use someone like me to touch a heart through artistic expression. Our commission is to use that talent, show our work, and let God move in people as they witness what He has inspired from within us. Then and only then will we hear Him say to us, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."

Whatever your gift, whatever your passion, I pray you will pursue it and use it to the glory of God. You may never make it all the way to Wembley Stadium. But you'll never find yourself on the outside asking "What if?"

Article Source: http://christian-topics.info

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