The world needs you to create.

And I’ll tell you why. But first, I love this verse:

Proverbs 13:12:

“Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life.”

Here is my understanding:

It reminds me that following my dreams and using the talents that God gave me will not only develop my talents more but it will bless my family and those around me.

To me, “hope deferred” is referring to when we allow self-doubt, fear, and anxiety to prevent us from doing what we know we need to do. We let our negative thoughts take control and our heart becomes sick. The reality is, we are all sinners and none of us are perfect and that’s okay. But we can still do something, no matter how small. We can’t let our brokenness discourage us, slow us down, or stop us. Remember, Saint Teresa of Calcutta said “Do small things with great love.”

My artwork and remember you don’t have to be perfect.

I drew the tree picture above. To be honest I’m not exactly happy with the way it turned out. But I realized, that’s exactly what this verse is talking about. I just need to keep doing the work. After all, God doesn’t command us to be successful, only faithful. If I listened to my thoughts of “what do you think you’re doing, it’s not going to turn out good enough” and “you don’t have time to draw a decent picture” , it would have never happened. And that wouldn’t have been pleasing to God.

And there may be other voices we hear that try to stop us…

“But you have small children, so you don’t have time”

“You work full time, so you don’t have time”

“You’re too old”

“You don’t have enough money”

“It’s selfish to take time for personal endeavors”

“You should be spending ALL of your free time with your family”

“You don’t know everything about it yet”

“You don’t come close to others doing the same thing”

“You’re not good enough”

“You already have enough to do”

Guys, if you ever have these kind of thoughts, don’t listen. And don’t wait until your work is perfect to share it. The world needs you and what you have to say. You tell those thoughts “yes, I’m not perfect, but I am good because I was made in God’s image and I’m using my talents which is what God wants me to do”. And you can thank God for getting you to where you are now and for the progress He has made in your life and all He has seen you through. You may not be where you need to be, but you are closer now and you are on your way!

Here’s a great memoir for pursuing personal passions as well as some great quotes:

Remember, it’s not so much about the work itself. It’s about how God is working in us when we listen to Him and do the work. Pursue your creative passions. You might help someone else. You might transform yourself.