My friend Shannon Bruce posted a great quote by Alan Alda on her facebook page.
“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful.” Alan Alda
If you have ever read John Bunyan’s classic, Pilgrim’s Progress you know that the journey to the Celestial City is not without pitfalls. It is indeed a journey! Creativity is likewise a journey. You don’t just jump like a grasshopper into the Celestial City! You sometimes crawl on your belly like a worm. You burrow through the darkness toward the glimmer of hope. And you must have the diligence of the ant to pursue your purpose when someone tromps over your anthill.
Father Abraham left the comfort of Haran, some even think he was king of Haran. He left to live in a tent and begin a journey into the wilderness of intuition. Did God really say he would have offspring that challenged the grains of sand and the stars of heaven in number? Did God really say he and Sarah would have a son? Sarah–in her old age?
In my journey to reconnect with the creativity that I said good-bye to (like every other child that enters the school system and meets with the derision of playmates who decry thinking outside the box), I have made some startling discoveries.
The journey of a thousand miles may begin with a single step, but before you take the step, stop! Stop and settle yourself deeply into the deep silence beyond all thought.
Contemplate this lovely adaptation from the Hebrew of Psalm 93 by Stephen Mitchell.
“God acts within every moment
And creates the world with each breath.
He speaks from the center of the universe,
in the silence beyond all thought.
Mightier than the crash of a thunderstorm,
Mightier than the roar of the sea,
is God’s voice silently speaking
in the depths of the listening heart.”
Take a moment and settle yourself right in this place. Life will wait. Contemplate..be still…until you can sense the deep silence beyond all thought. Get used to the sense of this place. It will be the starting point for your journey into Creativity. It will be your jumping-off place to be participatory with the God who “acts within every moment and creates.” He invites you to take the first step into the silence beyond all thought!
~Marlee Huber advocating for Your Flourishing Life!