Friday, March 7, 2014

Willing: Painting on each other's easels

It's an undercurrent we know well as writers, whether acknowledged openly or implied, addressed with honest confession, wrestled with, accepted or denied.  This world of stats, readers, following, popularity, platform. I can't say I know it well, as I have little more than a handful of official 'followers' of my blog, but I've dipped my cupped hands in the waters and drunk enough to wet my tongue. It's enticing, that's for sure, an easy cup to drink and drink until you don't notice how you crave it, until you require more and more for your thirst for affirmation to be quenched. 

And I won't lie, sometimes I get my worth crisscrossed with my writing and responses to it, or lack thereof. I don't look at stats very often, but I check often enough for comments, like I'm waiting for a check in the mail. Many days, the checks don't come, and I don't say that with self-pity. I need to be real, beginning with myself: I'm not much in the writing world. And I have to remind myself that's ok. It's where I'm at, and this lack of greatness is the breeding ground for character to grow. The place where weeds and intentions are worked out in my heart and I learn if I can be great enough to be small. 

I'm not there yet, but I long for this.

And you know what I've been realizing lately? I need to love well the ones I've got. The friends of all sorts who grace me with their presence and words in my blogging home. I want to be a better friend, encourager, cheerleader and hope-giver of others' dreams and journeys. I've got a lot to learn in this small place I've been entrusted with, and I want to confess to you, here and now, I've not loved as I would like. I've been more wrapped up in my own home than I've been invested in the homes of others, and I'm so sorry

The other day, I wrote a post that sparked inspiration in a dear friend of mine who faithfully comes to visit here and loves me with her presence and encouragement. She painted this gorgeous picture of a bird singing, a picture of hope, adding layers of color and beauty and life to the words I'd written. It nearly brought me to tears. In my heart, I felt myself fall to my knees and wonder at the glory of such a gift, that this call to write is so much bigger than me. The power of grace that spills over when our lives intersect and we allow each other in. Because we'd let each other in our homes already, shared our hearts deeply with each other, she felt free to walk in and set up an easel in my living room and and painted - oh, how she painted. 

Painting by Karmen Madan
This is the true payoff, if we can call it that, in writing. To see our easels splashed with paint from each others' brushes, our lives altered in some big or small or yet-to-be-seen way, simply by being seen and known and loved and believed in.  To have others come in and set up their own easels and paint their lives across the canvas.

It puts numbers in perspective. In a moment, the 'one' is infinitely dear, invaluable. For who can put a price or stat on one life that is willing to enter into yours and be touched, and you by theirs?

So I want to thank you for your graciousness to me, friends. I'm learning where true value lies, and I've a ways to go on this road, but I want you to know my door is open. I need your paint on my easel, and I thank you each time I am allowed to splash my colors on yours.

This is glory.

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Joining Lisa Jo and the wonderful writers of Five-Minute Friday. Let me be clear, this was NOT a five-minute post, but I do love being part of this community, regardless.  :-)


8 comments:

  1. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your heart. You are so right ... That ONE is so precious. We can write for one and if it touches and transforms? THAT is amazing.

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    1. I feel I need that plastered on my screen, Sonja: "That ONE is so precious." I want to keep that always before me as I write.

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  2. This was absolutely full of beauty, transparency, honesty, and grace. Your words so ministered to my heart as I've had the same little struggles nagging at me recently until it begins to consume me and steal away at my joy. Your words brought tears to my eyes, as I read the phrase, "The place where weeds and intentions are worked out in my heart and I learn if I can be great enough to be small." This is really what the Kingdom of God is about, isn't it...the last being first, and the first last...serving the "least of these"...inside-out living...this is who Jesus is, and who I too, like you, desire to be. Thank you, thank you for being humble enough to be real. You splashed much-needed paint on my easel. (Also, my post today was longer than 5 minutes too...so glad I'm not alone. hee hee) ♥ Crystal (FMF Sister) PS: Just for the record...there was nothing small about your post. :)

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    1. YES. "This is really what the Kingdom of God is about...", all the things you mentioned, Crystal. Our focus can get so turned around in this call to write, until it becomes some cheap imitation of what was put inside us to do, to be, to give. I hate that I lose sight of this - and I'm grateful for how God gently and graciously flags me back. Let's keep wrestling with it? One of my writer friends wrote a gorgeous post on this same thing this week as well, unbeknownst to me: http://sixinthehickorysticks.blogspot.com/2014/03/all-that-really-matters.html. I think this will resonate with you. Thank you, too, for your words of encouragement. I'm so happy to have 'met' you here.

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  3. This was really beautiful and I relate. Writing is hard work no matter the form. It's daunting and uplifting. It's scary and it's powerful. In the end it's what we are called to do which is why we create these internet spaces. Visiting from 5MF!

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    1. Oh yes. It is all these things, isn't it? One of the most beautiful and terrifying things about the kind of writing we do is the vulnerability. We all crave it, but it can be so challenging to practice - but also, unbelievably satisfying and rich. It's how we can show up at each others' places and say, "Me, too. I'm so glad I'm not alone." I love this part of writing. And I'm glad you showed up here today and that I could visit your lovely space...

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  4. It is hard not to feel worth in the numbers and the comments....as if some magic number will bring about the feeling of "Wow, I have finally made it." I struggle with that a lot too! A lot. And I try and ask myself where does that number end. Will it come when I hit 50 views in a day, everyday? Or is it 500, or maybe 5000? and the truth is if I write for the numbers there will never be one big enough to make me feel worth, or at least not worth that is lasting, because what happens when the numbers drop? So, all that to say, I understand. =) And believe me when I say that your writing is never small, no matter what those numbers say.

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    1. You've hit it, Karmen - where, when, would it ever stop? Would it ever be enough? No. It's how so many 'successful' people, when reaching the top they were striving for, feel so empty. I don't want to buy into that. I love how you broke that down into something so concrete and practical. And thank you, again, for being a friend and cheerleader.

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