Are You Tired?
These readings regularly touch on the beauty and power of our God-given creativity. But there’s an aspect of it that deserves more attention—creative exhaustion.
Highly creative people are forerunners who wrestle with an unformed idea or deep emotion, often for years, before ultimately bringing it to life on the appropriate canvas. The stories, songs, movies, and art are above all an offering to God, but they also offer a new way to see ourselves, others, and God.
This capacity to feel deeply, to see what could be, and to bring it to life is exhilarating—and exhausting. We worship God in what we make, but we also cry as we create. A real-life situation with an unknown outcome causes a hundred scenarios to race through our minds. No matter what actually happens, we’re worn out from imagining the infinite possibilities. But it doesn’t stop there. We long for what could be in this world while carrying the heavy truth that most of it will not occur until the coming kingdom.
But this exhaustion doesn’t stop at the mental, emotional, physical, and creative levels. There’s also a spiritual component. The enemy has a special hatred for those who create with the Creator. In my book Chaos Can’t, I note that from the beginning, the enemy has opposed the Creator and creation. Today, he has an intense hatred for all who choose to co-create with God in ways he will never experience again.
The only antidote to mental, emotional, physical, creative, or spiritual exhaustion is Jesus.
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 MSG)
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
This reading was crafted to encourage your pursuit of story and creativity with God. Your donation makes this crowd-funded initiative possible. You can support it via PAYPAL (or by check to Allen Arnold at PO Box 62841, Colorado Springs, CO 80962).
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