A fellow creative recently shared a cartoon about God creating an artist. Behind the baby was a list of pros and cons with a single pro, “Artist,” and a host of cons, including things like “crippling anxiety,” “self-doubt,” and “insecurities.” When the baby asks if anything else is going to be added to the pro list, God disappears from the frame and a stork announces its arrival.
I remember chuckling at the cartoon because there is some humorous truth about the personality traits of many artists and creatives, but then I started wondering why those hang-ups are so common. Even King David, a creative soul with a heart that sought out close communion with God, was prone to extreme mood swings and fits of deep depression.
Fortunately for us, he didn’t keep those struggles to himself.
Learning to praise in the midst of grief
The thing I love so much about reading through David’s poetry is that he allows himself to be honest with himself. He recognizes his troubles, his griefs, and his doubts, and instead of keeping them hidden away, he lays them out fully before the Lord—and before us as well.
But more than that, he didn’t wallow in his pain. Instead, he constantly turned it back over to the Lord and his hardest, most distressing beginnings often end in praise.
In brief, he learned the value of releasing his attempt at control.
His example encourages me when I am feeling overwhelmed, or burned out, or as if I’ve completely lost my footing. It reminds me to check my focus and ask myself what triggered the emotions I’m feeling. I’m surprised at how often it’s because I feel like I’ve lost control of a situation. A situation I shouldn’t have been trying to control in the first place.
Moving beyond situational anxiety
If you experience situational anxiety in your writing, now may be the best time to look at where your feet are planted. Are you trying to control every aspect and build your writing career on the shifting sands of your own foundation, or are you looking to God to lay the blocks for you to build upon, with Him as your guide?
As one who is in the process of learning this lesson, I’ll be the first to confess that it can be more than a little difficult at times. But the more I loosen my hold on the idealized vision of what I want my writing career to look like, the more I find new avenues open up to me. Many of which are completely unexpected and are moving me in a direction I wouldn’t have considered in the past.
I have a little note written in the margin of my Bible by Psalm 40:2 that says, “Fight and sink or Trust and stand.” Whenever I see it, I’m reminded that we all have a choice in how we respond to life’s circumstances.
We can choose one, but not both. Which will you pick today?
