A friend recently reminded me of this story from author Peggy Noonan’s blog in The Wall Street Journal:

“At a recent 100th birthday party, a man shared wisdom with friends. He said there are two words we don’t honor enough…”

If you had an hour to solve a problem that your life depended on, how would you spend that time? 

I regularly speak to large and small gatherings about God, story, and creativity. And a common theme is how overwhelmed, worn out, and disheartened the majority of these creative believers are.

Did you know your creativity can vary by day of the week?

It took an unexpected conversation with an appliance repairman for me to come across this idea. He was fixing my washer and dryer and has seen it all in his forty plus years in the business. So I asked why some appliances and cars seemed to last forever, while others of the same make and model, constantly have issues. 

It’s easy to be hard on yourself when you miss the mark. But I’ve discovered a more helpful way to interpret these experiences.

One of the best Superman stories of all time was written as if it were the “last” Superman story of all time.

Very few people in life have mastered their area of gifting at the level of basketball superstar Michael Jordan. So when he shares the secret to his success, it’s worth paying attention.

People often talk about God as if he’s way up there, somewhere in the clouds, and we’re way down here, left to our own means. 

But God is not a distant Father. Nor a distant Creator. He doesn’t just show up in cathedrals or on Sunday morning. He is always present. And closer than our skin.

When we’re younger, life is all about now. We have little patience. We want immediate gratification. In other words, we play the short game. It’s all about what feels best now.

Over time, we discover reality doesn’t align with—or reward us—for this approach. 

When we continually repeat what's been done before, we forget that what made it special the first time was the freshness of the original act...not the repeating of a formula.

There’s nothing quite like the frustration of spending endless hours trying to resolve an unfair situation and getting nowhere. Especially when it involves hours of being on hold before the process even begins. 

I’ve recently discovered a way to make these conversations more life-giving. 

“Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something.”

I first encountered these powerful words from H. Jackson Brown Jr. decades ago in his book, Life’s Little Instruction Book.

At its core, life is about relationships. With God and with others. 

When hard times hit, we lose perspective if we focus on the wrong thing…the problem.

C. S. Lewis made a fascinating observation about modern blind spots. Meaning when you’re in the moment, it’s easy to miss the big movements while lost in the small distractions. That’s certainly true of this season we find ourselves in.

We look at the world and see such momentum behind troubling trends. The trajectory seems unstoppable and inevitable, so we begin to waver and compromise.

There’s a growing concern among many that generative A.I. will soon be able to duplicate, if not exceed, our creativity. It can certainly compile things faster than us. But can it also create better than us? And if so, what happens then?

We’ve all had those awkward moments while listening to a song or watching a scene in a show and suddenly we’re overcome with emotion. 

A life of creative ease and efficiency! It sounds so appealing…except that’s not how God designed the process to work. 

You may have a beautiful voice but little interest in singing. You may be an excellent accountant, but numbers bore you. You might make furniture, yet dream not of couches…but coaching.

The goal isn’t to stick with what comes easy or even brings in the most money. At least not when it comes to your creativity.