Monday Memo 336: Uninspired or Lazy?

I have recovered from my bout with the flu last week, which I used to start the manuscript on my next book. Next Sunday I depart for England where I will be part of the Christian Booksellers Convention. You can see my itinerary below.

I have been writing on creativity and will do so for a few more weeks. Before we go on, however, let’s review the major points we have made so far:

1. You are a creative person. Whether you think you are or not, you were created by a creative God the Creator to be creative. Creativity is built into the essence of your being.
2. Your creativity has enemies. We saw how fear, perfectionism and comparison are the main hindrances to your creative expressions.
3. There are many expressions of creativity. We began to build a list of creative expressions, which included raising children, how you dress, repairs, gardening, time management and problem solving. A list of other possible expressions can be found on my website.
4. Jesus was a creative person. Jesus was a carpenter, so He knew how to work with His hands. Then He used parables to creatively express the truths He came to proclaim. Since Jesus was and is creative, He can help you express yours.

CREATIVITY IS WORK

And now let’s add one more point to the list: creativity is hard work. Thomas Edison, the famous inventor and creator, once said, “Genius is 99% perspiration and 1% inspiration.” This is an important point because many people are sitting around, waiting for a lightning bolt of inspiration to hit them before they begin to express their creativity. Since that lightning bolt seldom comes, they don’t create, or at least don’t think that what they want to do qualifies as creativity.

I was reading the creation story in Genesis and came across this verse: “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (Genesis 2:2). Why did God have to rest? He had to rest following His six-day work of creation. People ask me all the time, “How do you write your books?” My answer is always the same: “One page at a time, one day at a time.”

I begin almost every day by sitting down at my computer to write my daily Bible study devotional that I send out every week ( have now completed commentaries on 18 books of the New Testament by writing about four verses a day every day for the last six years.) Three or four times every week I write for my blog and have written the Monday Memo for seven years next month.I do all this whether or not I feel creative or have any ideas. I begin to write and somehow my creativity flows. But it doesn’t just fall down from heaven; I must work at it—work at being creative.

UNINSPIRED OR LAZY?

Could it be that we aren’t more creative because we’re lazy? All right, I'll be more specific. Are you not as creative as you could be because you are lazy? Is your lack of creativity due to a lack of discipline that doesn’t allow you to sit down and write, or go to your workshop or pick up your paintbrush? Are you waiting for inspiration when you should be producing perspiration?

I was also thinking about the word recreation this week. Look at that word: re-creation. When you work at creativity, you need rest and re-creation. Why? So you can resume your creative expressions. If God rested from His creative work, then you and I will need to do the same. But we recreate not just to have fun, but also to replenish what is lost in the creation process so we can start all over again. Recreation isn’t a right; it's something you earn as you create. Recreation that is separated from the work of creation is selfish idleness and can be a waste of time.

So what are you prepared to do this week with your creativity? I hope you have decided to work at it. Stop putting off until tomorrow the work that must be done today. As you do, plan for some rest and recreation. I trust that this week you will earn the right and create the need for some re-creation as you work to express your God-given creativity. Have a great week!

Feel free to add you comments to this entry on the site where it is posted.

*********************************************

INTERNET RADIO SPONSOR: I am soon launching a radio program with an internet radio network and have raised about one third of the sponsors needed. People will have access to this show all over the world, so if your service, product, ministry or message needs an international audience, write me and let's talk. Maybe you would simply like to be part of this program that will broadcast the purpose message all over the world. This has been on my mind for quite a while and now is the time to do it. I identified one sponsor this past week but need a few more before I can proceed. If you would be interested in being a sponsor for this show, write and let me know.

UK SCHEDULE: Here is what I have so far for my time in the UK. I will be staying in Walsall, so if you would like to schedule some time to have a purpose session, write and let me know

Tuesday 4th March and Wednesday 5th March -- Christian Booksellers Convention booth book signing; times to be confirmed.

Thursday 6th March - Service Albion Street Pentecostal Church in Stourbridge, 7.30pm

Thursday 6th March through Saturday 8th March - Charis Bible School in Walsall

Sunday 9th March - Kingdom Life Church Northampton, 10.30 AM

Sunday 9th March - AOG Church Worcester, 6.30 PM

ZIMBABWE LEADERSHIP CENTER: I have been talking on my blog about my desire to start a leadership center at the University of Zimbabwe Medical School. If you know anyone, group or individual, who can fund such a project that will impact Africa's medical sphere for generations to come, please write and let me know. I can send you a one-page summary of the plans if you would like to have one.

Comments

[grace]

Thanks for this message – it just hit the nail on the head!

Since the “profiles” workshop in Naivasha/Kenya I have re-evaluated my potentials. Now I know myself better and one of the potential I have actualized is - creative writing using humor to encourage and educate others through the Word of God. BUT hold on before you get excited!! I wrote two chapters two months ago (when I was on vacation) and since then I have been too busy to write another single word of the book!

I do not feel lazy about writing nor do I feel uninspired – but time, time, time. Sometimes I wish I could just run-away to outer space with a laptop and write.

Ooh no… I would miss my family and friends! At times I am not even sure anymore whether I am writing a book! BUT … I am not giving up. I am determined to finish the good work that I have started because I know God wishes to inspire others in a certain way through what He has knitted RIGHT inside me. You can tell I am trying hard to encourage myself in the Lord!

Please advise.

[john stanko]

Hi Grace,

Nope. doesn't sound like you are lazy at all. we all face the time issues. here are some thoughts:

1. you have all the time in the world already! that's right. for every day you are alive, you have 24 hours. so you cannot get "more time." you must use the time you have.

2. to add writing to an already busy life means that something else must go. Peter Drucker used to say that everyone should have five goals. when you introduce a new one, you should eliminate one of the old ones.

3. you eliminate projects and add new ones according to your values, focusing on the most important, not the most urgent.

4. we must all learn to write with the moments we have, not waiting for the large chunks of time we wish to have one day. i write 30 minutes every day, sometimes more, seldom less. i have been able to develop a body of writing by giving that amount of time consistently.

5. Julia Cameron is a writer who encourages writers. her book The Artist's Way is a classic. if you can find it, and I have found it in Kenya before, invest in it and then follow her plan to help you write and create.

Those are my thoughts for the day. Keep up the good work, don't be discouraged and stay focused. you sound like you are "hooked" on writing. now it's just figuring out how to make it part of your daily routine.

[Martin]

Dear John,
I don't want to add anything to what you wrote about creativity vs laziness all I will do is agree that a lot of times we Christian spend more time expecting that big miracle to inspire the abilities in us yet we already have the inspiration through the Holy Spirit and all we need to do is get that pen or that key board and start typing away. James says "show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith with my works". Alot of times we are too busy praying and hoping that the inspiration will somehow get itself into paper instead of actually getting it done.
We are so much into instant "coffee" break throughs that when it doesn't come right away, we give up too soon and let that creative ability in us go to sleep.

Wow, am excited about the ministry you are going to do in the medical university in Zimbabwe.Being an African living in California, I keep praying for my beautiful continent and can't wait for the day when that revolution will come to our land.

The church plant project in Hollywood is exciting...Many people are volunteering to help and am just trusting the Lord to give us all that we will need for it.

God bless.