Last weekend I finished reading quite possibly the best book I have read all year: A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman. This gem of a book is all about recognizing who we are in Christ and becoming our true selves in order that we may live in the fullness of what that means for each of us, and ultimately, reach our highest calling of bringing glory to God.
Drawing from Scripture, Emily speaks deep truth and wisdom in a way that encourages, inspires, and pulls the shades up on our sleepy lives, drawing us out from under the covers and awakening us to the desires, dreams, and possibilities that God has placed on our hearts. I LOVE what she writes and I definitely sensed God bringing things together for me as I worked my way through these pages.
Here are a few of my favorite passages…
**Art is what happens when you dare to be who you really are. You have the power to influence, to move, to make, to become.
**Wake up to the life of Christ within you and see how he wants to come out. Wake up to your unique calling and live into the truth of who Christ is and who you are in him. Uncover the art you were born to make. Release the art you were made to live. This is the gospel, the good news, the new way.
**Being who you already are no matter the circumstance of your life is what it means to release the art you were made to live. Respond to God where you are as you are.
**Uncovering the art alive within me and releasing it into my world is what it means to worship God.
**All we can do is take what he has given to us and offer it back to him in the form of giving it away to others.
**An artist lives in the midst of [God’s] wonder, breathes it in, moves around in it, uncovers her unique contribution to it, and offers it back up to God.
**We are the mirrors of God on earth, the megaphones or glory, the hands and eyes and hearts of heaven. … God is the Artist and he made us. We are his poem and we will make art.
For those of you who have been reading my blog, you know that this season of my life has been marked by the themes of “becoming” and “living a good story.” An essential part of this has been to acknowledge my passions and dreams and desires – those things I love to do and don’t want to live without, those things that wake me up and make me come alive in Him. And not just acknowledge these things, but to name them and take action on making these things a part of my daily life, rather than just mere moments that I get to enjoy every once and awhile.
I want to live the art I was made to live in the here and now. Today and everyday. All for the glory of God.
For those of you who find yourself feeling the same way, I highly recommend this book. It will put a fresh wind in your sails and give you the energy to seek God and His purpose for your life. It will help you uncover what’s been there in your heart to do all along and reveal to you the possibilities of what He can do in, through, and with you as you give these things over to Him. Nothing is impossible. He is the Artist. We are His Masterpiece. And in Him, we can live out the authentic, genuine, and unique art we are made to live.
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“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” –Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)