Does your creative expression reflect your journey with God?
I have been working with Vintage Hymns the last few weeks in my small group. When I go through the stories of the creators of these hymns, I discover something quite unique concerning each one. They all draw from specific personal experiences when writing the words of their poems. They are honest as to their walk.
Does your creative expression reflect your journey with God?
As you discover, few of these people actually wrote their poems with the desire to be published. Simplicity is Expressing Creative Depth told the story of William Featherston who created a simple poem expressing the wonder and joy he experienced as he gave his life to Jesus. When Featherston wrote the words to My Jesus I Love Thee he had no intention to have this poem published. Featherston at an age somewhere between 12 and 16 composed a beautiful expression responding to a beautiful experience. Nothing more.
Does your creative journey with God always reflect beauty?
What comes to your mind with the word beauty? Wooded areas, rushing streams, blue skies dotted with puffy white cloud.? Beauty opens various scenes depending on the experience of the beholder. With that thought, does a creator have a responsibility to the beholder to simply bring sweet scenes of beauty? Or could the responsibility be much deeper? Is it important to be honest with God, our circumstances and ourselves?
A Hymn reflecting the need for protection
Let’s consider a piece created for a completely different reason. The hymn BE THOU MY VISION although filled with words of praise was written as a cry of desperation during desperate times.
The poem is said to be written by Dallan Forgaill, an early Christian Irish poet. .
While trying to discover the origin for this song, a few things came up to consider the “why”. for writing this poem. One article states Forgaill wrote these words to remember and honor the faith of St. Patrick.
Other information described prayer poems written during this era in Ireland expressed the common theme of seeing God as the needed protector. Praise of God was deep within the poems, but the lens was different.
.“One of the essential characteristics of the text is the use of ‘heroic’ imagery to describe God. This was very typical of medieval Irish poetry, which cast God as the ‘chieftain’ or ‘High King’ (Ard Ri) who provided protection to his people or clan. The lorica is one of the most popular forms of this kind of protection prayer and is very prevalent in texts of this period.”
Be Thou My Vision saw the wonder of God and called on that wonder for needed safeguarding.
Compare how these two styles reflected the authors’ journeys with God.
look closely at the two styles of poems and the circumstances surrounding their stories.
Neither form is better than the other. Both represent the depth of relationship of each author with God during their journey.
Praise, Worship, Trust and Need. .——All are Glory to God expressed in honest relationship with God.
Take this art piece from Be Thou My Vision and spend time with God. The sword, shield and tower reflects the heart of the author declaring worship and need.
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As you create, be still. Give yourself permission to converse with God about your present life. When the road gets blurry, will your creativity honestly reflect your journey with God?
I would love to hear how you respond to your time with God. How are the stories of past creatives speaking to you and your creative journey?