We do not want merely to see beauty... we want something else
which can hardly be put into words- to be united with the beauty
we see, to pass into it, to receive it into ourselves, to bathe in it, to
become part of it.
C. S. Lewis
There is a part of all of our lives that longs for the beyond, that wishes for a place to go, outside of this moment, outside of duty and responsibility and work. We are captured by a universe that whispers to our souls that there is more than what we are living in this day, this moment. Oh, to be taken in a magical ship away to this wonderland that the eyes of our soul can see. And if we but make the time to be still, to imagine, we can get lost in the beauty. I long for the place beyond more often all the time.
When my children were young, I would write a verse, a quotation, a piece of wisdom on our little white board and tell them to write or draw what the saying meant to them. Photography or masterpieces were displayed on easels and by entering into the graphic beauty, we would request a poem to be written, a song to be composed, a story to be penned. Often a classical piece of music filled the atmosphere where the crafting of original thought and beauty were bearing fruit. We would often memorize these quotations together, live in words, swim in worlds beyond that caught our fancy as we reflected on the art. How I loved these life-giving days.
The joy of exploring beyond what I could explicitly teach, taught them to practice the imagination of the "life beyond" where they could wonder about a God who was the artist behind it all. Creating their own word pictures, stories, synthesizing ideas gave energy to each of them, and to me, to become entrepreneurs in their own worlds.
This practice of imagining also shapes the adult who pursues these ways of living.
How did your children become creative? We are asked this question often.
They are made in God's image and He made them creative, just like Himself. We just gave them food for thought and space and time in which to express what they found swimming within their brains. It was never a specific goal to create merely creative children who would become writers, musicians, screen writers, message makers. Instead, we wanted them to learn to love stretching their minds, eating up words, dwelling in the world of ideas, memorizing great thoughts, copying great art, hearing the words of the best writers and thinkers as the oxygen of their lives that they breathed every day.
Then in the midst of life-giving moments, intelligence, creativity, a drive to become creators of beauty bloomed naturally and came alive because they had thought for themselves, and created their own imaginings of what life was about. The investment of all that was good, true and beautiful bore fruit through the expression of their work, crafted by their unique personalities.
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Anyone reading here within a reasonably close traveling distance to Oxford? comment below! :)
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I so appreciate all of you who took the time to communicate to me what you wanted to hear. Great questions, thoughts and input.
I am planning for November, (if life settles down for me), an e-conference that will focus on the most important and foundational truths on which to build a vision for life. The second hour, I will address some individual questions about teenagers, mental illness and how to cope with it in the long run, some thoughts about other issues that you all asked me to address. I am studying, pondering, writing down notes so that I can share with you those most important ideas that God has so faithfully taught me through the years. We shall have fun and I hope many of you will be able to join me.
Meanwhile, I am hoping that many of you can join me at the Mom Heart Conferences this year. I am already working on my talks to inspire and affirm you because I believe so much in the value of your life and the ways you are investing your days!
One person will win a conference at the end of this month from among all who have registered. This is the lowest price for the conference for this coming year. Register HERE
