You may be blessed with a weird and wonderful gift, and not know it. Even once you are aware of it, you may not know how to use it in the best ways. I didn't.
I'm still learning about this rare ruby I carry almost casually as if it's a pretty stone in my pocket.
As a child, it marked me as a dreamer with all manner of strange fantasies. I felt put down when I was told "Stop letting your imagination run away with you." So I learned to shut up and keep the stories and things I saw in my head, right there, under my hair.
Inventing games to play with my younger siblings came naturally. I wanted to make gifts out of cardboard and scraps of fabric, or whatever I found. An empty oatmeal box, or rubber ring, or bit of ribbon - anything and everything was met with "Hey, I could make something with this!"
Of course, I read as if destined to go blind any day, and everything I read triggered new ideas, stories and things to make mostly. I used them for babysitting projects to keep the younger children entertained. (I avoided the adults especially, who might put me down, which at times made me feel like the only people I felt safe with were children).
A sermon I heard in church, at about 13, was on how we all have at least one gift, but we must be careful not to bury it. It is to be used for the Lord. I recall thinking, "Well, I have none of the gifts listed there in the Bible, but Lord, if You count my imagination as a gift - it's the only thing I can think I have - then sure, I'll dedicate it to You. It's Yours."
Life continued as before. But I became a Sunday School teacher at 17 and threw myself into making my lessons as alive and visually captivating as possible. I knew the kids would remember better if I let them do stuff with their hands, and soon I was preparing craft activities to match the lessons.
Secretly, I also began writing a novel based on a vivid dream or vision I had when I was sick with the mumps at 12. I was more serious about it though, working in the city of Saskatoon, after my high school graduation. Shift work freed me to write when no one was looking. It became my main outlet for creativity.
When I drove out to London, Ontario, to find a publisher, I ended up living there, and became quite involved in Children's ministry in the church where my aunt Jean introduced me around. It soon blossomed into both Sunday School work and being the Chief Guide of the Pioneer Girls Clubs.
Preparing new crafts often meant teaching myself a new one, so I could teach "my girls." But I loved it.
One day, explaining in a lesson about spiritual gifts, it came to me out of the blue - I'd given my 'maybe' gift, imagination, to the Lord at 13 and He had multiplied it!
Not only was I making things and writing my novel in the evenings, but I'd become a leader and a teacher and an administrator through the children's ministry activities I'd taken up.
Why, I even got up sometimes and spoke in front of the adults in the church services! (Mind you, the first time I burst into tears. It was too emotional for me. Still is, for that matter).
Then I went away to a Pioneer Girls Leaders Retreat. A woman presented a workshop on discovering your spiritual gifts. I was knocked speechless, when the test proved that I had no less than seven! For the rest of that weekend I couldn't think in complete sentences. I was so stunned at this revelation.
What's more, she pointed out that God had given some men gifts of creativity and workmanship skills to build the prescribed tabernacle under Moses in the wilderness. So a creative imagination IS a bona fide gift from God.
The same women stressed that our gifts are given to us by the Holy Spirit, not for our own use, but for blessing others, particularly in our church family. So with renewed vigor, I threw myself into church work.
Soon I was the church secretary (part-time job), and on various committees, and seemed to be called on whenever ideas for activities or theme displays were needed. I tried never to turn down a request, because I was so eager to serve the Lord with the gifts He'd given me.
However--
Have you been here? You know what comes next?
Yes, it is possible to reach burnout. In fact, you can work so hard for the Lord, you don't really have time to love and connect with Him on a daily, continuing basis.
When God called me to return home to look after my parents I thought I'd put all that behind me and had do nothing but pray in my spare time. It doesn't work that way. If you have the gift of imagination and creativity it will come oozing out of your seams and any little hole.
I found myself make greeting card, making gifts with scraps around the house, I found myself writing whole books in my head, making illustrated children's books for my niece and nephew, getting involved in AWANA clubs at church, directing Vacation Bible School, and preparing crafts for 300 kids...!
It's hard to smother this gift. ~GRIN~
When I took to writing our family histories, and found hints of our creative ancestors, I realized there might be some hereditary influences.
Since I've turned to the Internet I keep discovering new ways to use my imagination. It seems to be a play ground made for just for us creative types. We can write and publish freely - especially once you know how to put together web pages and sites, and compile e-Books.
Are you carrying this wonderful gift around ignorantly? I hope you learn to recognize it and develop your skill with it.
In fact, sometimes it's easy to forget who gave it to us.It is a good idea to put it back into His hands every once in a while, and let the Lord purify it, and show us how to use it best.
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
Ruth Marlene Friesen makes friends wherever she goes!
Her friends become her rare roses at Ruthes-SecretRoses.com
Order the softcover edition at Booklocker.com
And- Subscribe to her weekly ezine RoseBouquet
To follow and get to know Ruth better!
~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`
[Article may be reprinted only with this resource box].
Back Inspirational Articles (index)
Ruth Marlene Friesen
The Responsible One
Privacy Promises ~~
Sitemap
Ruthe's Secret Roses (official site)
©2001-2022 Ruth Marlene Friesen
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada