“You were made for greatness!”, says Pope Benedict XVI.  Sometimes hard to swallow in a world that is so homogenized.  Burger King says we can have it our way, but we have to choose from what’s on the board.  What if I really wanted some sushi?  (mmm … sushi)  Fact is, we were all made with greatness in mind, but will we choose to shape ourselves or be shaped.

Art Made For the Museum

A museum is a place for the best of the best.  You never see a paint-by-numbers in a museum.  Why?  Because it defies the work of the artist.  Simple art projects certainly have their place.  You must start somewhere and learning has much need in our society today.  Once you start to realize that your life starts to push outside the conventional lines that have been drawn before you see that you are different … and for good reason.  We were created to fulfill a purpose.  While I wholeheartedly believe that  purpose lies in I Thess. 5:16-18 (Rejoice always.  Pray continually.  Give thanks in all circumstances.  For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus), it doesn’t stop there.  The impact we have on the world around us makes it (or should make it) a different place … a better place.  To live up to that kind of purpose means that we have our place in God’s museum.

How Your Art Expresses Itself

There are many different pieces that belong in a museum; statues, sculptures, paintings, artifacts, etc.  We as people also have many different facets that surround who we are and what our purpose involves.

• Who You Are: Did you know that every single person alive has won a race.  A race to the death.  A race against millions of other contestants.  That alone makes you a winner.  You were born with a distinct set of talents, skills, and a specific personality.  Those coupled together can make an amazing person, but you have to work at it.  Just because you may be musically inclined doesn’t mean you can play the piano as soon as you sit down.  To be able to play at Carnegie Hall you have to work at it and practice.  The potential is there, but is unrefined.
• Who You Know:  The people in your life make a huge impact on you which makes a huge impact on the difference you can make.  I’ll say it again, “Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your future.” (John Keubler?)  There are a barrage of influences in your life and, most of the time, you get to choose which ones to associate with; choose carefully.  On the flip side of that coin is who you influence.  Your family is who you will influence the most based solely on how much time you spend with them.  Whether as a father, mother, son, daughter, etc., you can make a difference in your family’s life.  The friends you choose to associate with should have the honor of knowing you.  Make a difference in these people’s lives through genuine loving and caring.

Don’t Give Into the Lie That You Don’t Make a Difference

There is a right way to make a difference.  Cynicism, demeaning behavior, and being just plain rude is no way to make a difference.  Most people want to live comfortably … and we have made it so easy.  Television, video games, sports events, even reading blogs on the internet make people lazy.  Obviously, there is a time and place but when practiced in excess that time extends beyond the boundaries of where it should be.  Those that want to stay comfortable are usually threatened by those that strive to make a difference.  They would rather have everyone on the same couch they sit on so they don’t look bad and can have someone to sit with.

Dream building is a lost art form.  I remember a friend of mine talking to his son and he asked, “What would you do with a million dollars?”  His son quickly replied, “I’d blow it all on a skate park.”  When I get asked that question I have been conditioned to think of mortgages to pay off, kids to send to college, investments for retirement, etc.  I have started to dream build again and my answer would now include travelling with my family across the whole US, starting a school to encourage and equip parents teaching their children, and a jetski with a kneeboard.  These dreams are better achieved with the help of friends and family.  When someone tells you their dream, be sure to encourage them … unless they have a dream to be a piece of cheesecake.  Don’t encourage that one.  =)

Where Is God In All This?

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” – Ephesians 2:10

Do you realize the creator of the earth created you?  Not just created on a whim, but for a purpose … for good works.  Revel in that thought today.  What good works does He have in front of you right now that you were created to fulfill?  Begin by understanding that your purpose is not to be created, but to be discovered.  Because of the skills He has given you and the people He has put you around, your life is waiting to be displayed in His museum and He is rooting for you to win the gold.  The question remains, “Will you strive to win?”