Who You’re Becoming
-An exclusive excerpt from Allen’s new book-
As a creativity coach, I’m frequently asked to help people discover their gifting. Most don’t realize how their current job and interests are pieces of a larger creative calling—and possible story. As Madeleine L’Engle noted in Walking on Water, we are “always a becoming.”
A friend of mine is an eye surgeon. She restores sight. That’s her profession, and she’s good at it. But she knew if money wasn’t an issue, she’d write stories. On the surface, that felt like a disconnect from her passion to help people see. But rather than a detour, God was inviting her to help people see in an entirely new way—through story.
Next, consider the fishermen before they met Jesus in Galilee. They excelled at their craft. Fishing likely brought them some level of joy. But Jesus invited them into more.
One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him. (Matthew 4:18-20 NKJV)
In an instant, these expert fishermen became “fishers of men.” They left their old way of doing things for a fuller measure of who they were becoming. The invitation was “follow me.” Not do more for me, but come with me. To experience your creativity with Jesus, you have to set down your nets (expectations) and follow him. It doesn’t work when you expect him to follow you into your plans.
Before Jesus invited the fishermen to follow him, God extended the same invitation to Adam and Eve. In paradise, they walked with God and followed his lead. It was his creation, after all. How else would they know where to go, what to do, or how to speak?
As you follow Jesus without condition, he will upgrade what you do, how you do it, and who it’s for. In this stage, look for clues to how your current skills or passions might be leading you into what’s next. Like the eye surgeon and the fishermen, the answers may be closer than you think—if you’ll follow Jesus into them.
(From The Creativity Glitch: How to Stop Being Stuck, Find Your Groove, & Create with God.Copyright © 2026 Allen Arnold.)
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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