Born a Poet
Yesterday, I read a quote in Eugene Peterson's book, Running With the Horses, that I just cannot shake.
William Stafford was once asked in an interview, "When did you decide to be a poet?" He responded that the question was put wrongly; everyone is born a poet - a person discovering the way words sound and work, caring and delighting in words. I just kept on doing, he said, what everyone starts out doing. "The real question is, why did the other people stop?"
I sat with it for a few hours, contemplating its meaning. Do I make room for my inner poet?
Suffocating Creativity
From childhood, we are taught that we must work hard in school to get into an excellent college. We must get into an excellent college to engage in a lucrative career. Everything is a means to an end. Unfortunately, when we finally arrive at the "end," we often have missed out on so much meaning in the mundaneness of everyday life that we no longer feel connected with God, self, and others. I have sat with dozens of young adults over the years who have launched into their careers upon graduating college, only to find that they are still not fulfilled.
The problem isn't that we value productivity. The problem isn't that we value education. The problem isn't that we have to work hard to succeed. The problem is that we live in a culture that connects meaning to productivity and productivity to monetary gain. We don't think it is worth creating if we can't make a buck off of a project. We are not taught to value creativity for creativity's sake. And so, we stop making room to dream and create at a young age.
When we do not make room for dreaming, creating art and cherishing art, we risk becoming empty robots whose only task in life is to construct widgets. Even worse, we risk losing our humanity. We cannot live spiritually vibrant lives when we are disconnected from our humanity.
The Role of the Artist
When I first met my friend and former colleague in pastoral ministry, John, he said something that confused me. He said, "I see myself as more of an artist than a pastor." I didn't get it at first. But as I sat with that statement for a couple of years, I realized that the role of the pastor is the same as that of an artist. Artists help connect us to a deeper reality. And to me, the best definition of God is ultimate reality.
On Sunday mornings when I preach, I am not presenting spiritual research papers. I am painting a picture with my words that will hopefully draw people into more profound meaning. I am creating space for people to develop a deeper awareness of God in them and around them. I am offering an opportunity for people to cultivate compassion, empathy, and solidarity with friends and strangers.
Whether a person is a songwriter, a painter, a fine woodworker, a dancer, or a preacher, artists help us connect to a deeper reality of what it means to be a human made in the image of God.
Making Room
We can learn to be productive and responsible WHILE still making room to tap into the depths of our God-given humanity through creating art. Every day, we have opportunities to weave in creativity. It can be as simple as listening to the birds serenade you on a 10-minute walk in the middle of the day, trying a fun new recipe for dinner, or rewriting a Psalm from the Hebrew Bible into language that resonates with your everyday reality.
In these spaces, focus more on connectivity than productivity. This connectivity will serve as a reminder of who you are and how God is at work in the world around you. This connectivity will help you breathe deeper and feel more settled. This connectivity will help you feel more alive.
