Sesame Street. A Big Yellow Bird. An amorphous green monster in a garbage can. A little red dude that laughs too much. And two best friends with an affinity for ducks. That’s what I think of when Sesame Street comes to mind. What an imaginative show. Strange, yes. But so very imaginative. Why does the imaginative, the fictitious, and the blatantly unrealistic appeal to children so much? It is simple.

A child’s mind, as it is supposed to be, is without boundaries to restrict the creative contemplation. A child should recognize the impossible as probable. They should proclaim Truth that adults are too frightened to admit.

Our society, our culture, our world craves and calls for adult-ness. Not maturity but adult-ness.

I found a new tea house in Downtown Colorado Springs today. Today I am buying into that Adult-ness. My creativity, my inspiration, my drive I have confined down to a box that can only exist with a cup of tea in hand and a comfy chair. I have a plate in front of me that only three minutes ago held a sandwich on wheat bread and a side of veggie chips. I am eating healthy, taking care of myself and being an ADULT.

Now not to degrade the atmosphere I am in right now I want you to understand that I actually love tea and eating healthy. But the situation squeals of independence, sophistication and adult-ness.

When I want to write. When I want to be with God. When I want to be intentional I recede into this reality where it is comfortable for me to express my creativity. My mind is not free-standing and soaring on the wings of poesy.

I struggle sourly to express my imagination when I am with people, with peers. Only in the right situation do I show my true-ness. My child-ness as I will call it. But restricting this to only when it feels appropriate or comfortable, that to me is slander against God’s design.

Yes, I have written and dreamed and lived my true-ness in many different situations across the board. By no means has it been comfortable though. It has happened most often when I have no other choice. When the need to imagine or create becomes unbearable and the only cure is to force myself to be focused on God and to pick up that pen next to my hand slide it up and down my paper.

Understand that my writing, what I equate to imagination and creativity. I line that up directly with my relationship with Christ. It is a gift that I have been blessed with. It is not a process to determine my worth or to see if I can produce a piece grand enough to be published. The chances are that my writing will never reach the masses, the chances are that only my loved ones will come across my words.

For that reason alone, I need to become refined and disciplined in using my gift, my passion. It is not to see how good I can be. It is to give thanksgiving for the Grace that God has for me.

Using our passions, our talents, our gifts should never be a demonstration of pride. No. It should be an encouragement to others. For others to be challenged to use their gifts. To follow God’s will, His design of you.

I can promise this. Even if you or I am never world-renowned. If the only people to ever read what I scribble down are my friends and family or a stranger who incidentally typed in the wrong website…Then I will still be happy and glad.

I will never know what will become of the moment they read what I wrote but my prayer will always be that they demonstrate their gifts (no matter what they may be) for others to see. Eventually and quite epically a difference will be made.

Never live to fulfill your pride. You will only find more sorrow and emptiness in that practice. Live and love for something more.

Show us all your child-ness.

Much Love

BGTF