One cookie at a time
I love the line from Stranger than Fiction where Ana Pascal is explaining to Harold Crick how she got to being a baker from going to Harvard Law School then says to him “So I decided that I would change the world with cookies.” That statement is so profound, and so amazingly true. So many people just never get it though… they think that the only way to change the world, the only way to make a difference is to join some great “cause” or devote their life to a monastery… when in actuality it starts with a batch of fresh baked cookies. Who are the most effective people in history? Just to list a few we’ve got Beethoven, Hans Zimmer, Nikola Tesla, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Bach, Albert Einstein, etc. But what did these people actually add to society? I mean seriously… nothing they did or created was, or is necessary to human existence… Some of them made our lives more convenient such as Nikola Tesla, and Henry Ford… some of them added beauty to our lives like Hans Zimmer, and Beethoven… but still yet none of these things are absolutely necessary for life, or are they? Are we programmed by God to always excel and change, redefining and extending the definition of what beautiful is? I like to think that the reason these people were so efficient at what they did is because they were doing exactly what God made them to do, they pushed the world aside and distinctly said they were doing not what the world said it needed (have you ever heard someone telling a small child they should be a doctor, or a lawyer, or a politician so that they could change the world and make lots of money?) they pushed aside what their parents told them to be, they pushed aside what their neighbors said they should be, they strove through times of extreme poverty to pursue their passions… Where as many people have said such endeavors are fruitless and vein… but I say differently. I say that these people actually got it, most of which weren’t Christians, and I also say there is no mistake about that. Sadly enough the church often is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to allowing people to do what God created them to do. If you think about how up until recently the Catholic Church was the dominant denomination for followers of Christ… the whole hierarchy and system of the Catholic Church is dead set on limiting the creativity of God. Pillar’s song Frontline which I’ve got on my MySpace profile says in the beginning “I’d be willing to bet that if we don’t back down in the end we’ll be the ones holding the crown” Of course Pillar is a Christian band, and they’re talking about standing on the front lines of Gods war against evil, but I think this is a huge part of that. How can someone doing a job that they’re not made for, or trained for be anywhere near as effective as someone who was born to be who they are? I like the quote from the movie 300 (even though I did have a few qualms with the historical accuracy of the movie) where the two Greek armies meet up and the one commander says “Why did you bring so few warriors?” Leonidas proceeds to ask those brought with Daxos what their professions were, farmers, potters, all normal professions. Then Leonidas asks the Spartans what their profession was they respond “Ha-ooh Ha-ooh Ha-ooh” and Leonidas says “You see, old friend? I brought more soldiers than you did.” It makes a difference when you’re doing what you were made to do, as opposed to doing what the world tells you they need done. The world isn’t changed by doctors, politicians, lawyers, and others in positions of power… the world is changed by artists who follow their dreams and do what they were designed for. I’ve used the quote before, but I still love it from the movie Man on Fire Creasy’s friend say’s “A man can be an artist at anything, Creasy’s art is death… and he is about to paint his masterpiece.” That is such an awesome line! A man truly can be an artist at anything, and if you’re not living out your art you’re probably dying each day little by little. I recently got an email from a Christina Lee who found my website from some article on a jewelry website… I’ve gotten a lot of praise from large websites that I have no clue how they even found out about me, but they write these awesome stories about my work and what I do… but anyways Christina wrote me an email saying that she loved how I stood for Christ in my work, and also that she really liked my work. Her and her husband a few years ago finally quit their jobs as she describes to “Return to the gifts and talents that God gave us.” She makes glass beads and jewelry out of that along with silk paintings, and her husband makes beautiful handcrafted guitars! She goes on to describe how they’re moving into a studio loft in a neighborhood of artists, they’re literally the 40th art studio to go into the neighborhood and how it is such a blessing to be a missionary to that artists community. It’s like what John Eldredge says… we need to quit asking what the world needs, and start asking what makes us come alive because what the world really needs is real men, and real women who are alive in what they do.