Chasing our calling is a journey. We can’t wait for our calling, or destiny, or whatever we want to call it to come to us – we have to drive towards it.
The most successful creative people do not wait or expect someone else to do their work. This select few does not hold out for validation of what they know must be done. They are doers, so they do. They hustle. They’ve taken the time to find, pray through, and define the end goal. Then, they start the journey to that distant place.
So, they start.
Along the way they make mistakes – they win and lose. Occasionally they have people who join them on the journey, but they never deviate. They keep moving. Keep working. Keep driving. Their passion is the fuel for what they know they have been created to do. Along the way, they sometimes morph or adapt – but they never stop chasing their own destiny with focus and precision. They are more consumed with creating momentum than they are concerned with being validated or accepted. Achieving their end goal is not an option – it’s a mission; a mission given to them by God to create, innovate, develop, and challenge.
So, they go.
They work hard to make sure they never confuse mile markers for finish lines. They keep going, always finding ways to keep moving. They don’t sit around and wonder who is going to understand them, be passionate about them, or do something for them. They understand that, at the end of the day, no one is going to care about their calling more than they will. They listen to the wisdom of a few and refuse to be swayed by the opinion of most. They know the cost and they pay the cost daily so that they can stay true to their calling.
And they keep going.
They don’t confuse success with completion. They refuse to react but choose to respond. They prepare enough to succeed and leave enough space for creativity and improvisation to develop. They understand the process is as beautiful as the destination, and that God’s colors and character light the path. They are thankful for those that believe in the vision that God places on their journey to help carry the load when it gets heavy, but have the clarity to stay on mission – even when it’s unpopular.
The irony is that the destination is usually never landed upon because God has more for us. Those rare times we do reach the destination is only so He can change our course and create a new journey. So, we keep going – hoping to create our best work along the way.
The fact that we never “arrive” is such fuel to keep up the hustle 😉 Always great stuff
Nice Stephen -thanks.
The realization that we’ll never reach our destination was a huge milestone for me a couple of years ago. It’s true in my own life and also for my church – the local congregation I’m a part of will never finish what God has called us to.
Out of that, you can either keep going out of hope or throw in the towel out of despair and frustration. I choose hope.
This is timely for me. I’ve been trying to figure out how to best pursue my dream. I seem to hit roadblocks at just about every turn. It’s discouraging, but I know that I have to press on. Keep pushing, keep moving, keep creating, keep thinking… I don’t want to give up on what God has placed in my heart. I know the reward is worth the work.
When I’m discouraged or I feel like I don’t know what to do next I return to the source. Spending time in the Word or in prayer always gets my creativity going again. I think about the Creator who paints the skies and carved the earth and how much creativity He has. Jesus is the source of life, creativity, and all good things.
Thanks for the post today. I needed this today.
this is SO incredibly timely for me to read today. This last year has been about developing this photography gift that seems to have come out of nowhere… and this last few days has been about getting the “legs” of my photog biz set up. To say I have been a mistake-making-machine this week would be an understatement. I’ve learned, but run into walls too and have lost my courage at times (like today).
So thank you so much for this timely reminder about what the creative process really looks like. {methinks I’ll pick myself back up now and keep going…}
The realisation that I will never arrive while on Earth gives me both drive and peace. It’s an odd mix.
Hey, what’s up. Thanks, man, this helps me. Thanks for posting.