The Margins of Life Are Where Creativity Happens
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“The margins of life are where creativity happens.” (J.D. Walt)
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Yet again it has happened to me.
More accurately, I should confess, I have allowed it to take root in my life. I feel the inescapable pile of responsibilities stacking up once again, having snuck up behind me as usual. I should rest.
Rest.
There’s that haunting word again. I never quite seem able to escape the tentacles of 'shoulds,' arriving at a place of being.
Rest: So desired, so exotic, so needed, so fleeting at times.
JD Walt, “Sower in Chief” of Seedbed Publishing, and former Vice President of Community Formation/Dean of Chapel at Asbury Theological Seminary, writes powerfully on creativity, limits, the power of margins, and rest in God, concluding that “When we come to grips with our own limitation in the face of unlimited need something happens deep inside of us. We finally cease to believe so much in ourselves and begin to believe in God. When we begin to believe in God, rest becomes possible. Rest is the presence of margins. Think margins – like the literal white space surrounding a page of text. The margins – the white space – this is the place of creativity. This is the place where one doodles the design of the next good thing in life. The margins of life are where creativity happens. And so rest, and consequently margins, and subsequently creativity are only possible for those who have not over committed themselves. Doesn't this help us understand burnout? Burnout isn't so much the inescapable presence of tiredness but the drudging absence of creativity.”
I yearn for this creative flow to grow more consistently regular in my life:
[if !supportLists]1. [endif]Rest in God —>
[if !supportLists]2. [endif]Margin (“White Space”) in My Life —>
[if !supportLists]3. [endif]Creative Endeavors Helping to Restore Our World. (Repeat process again)
And thus, I create this simple string of words, doodling in the margins of my mind. I pray they inspire renewed rest in God, marking in your life, and inspiration to engage creative endeavours helping to restore our world in your life.
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