I want this year to be different.

That means I have to be different. The question becomes: different how?

I found that I needed to change a few things:

  • how I think about myself
  • how to find courage to change my habits
  • how to figure out what the new habits should be
  • how to increase my confidence about the future

These are the nagging sorts of issues that have haunted me for, let’s just say, a very l-o-n-g time.

For quite a while I felt I should have a blog. I even created the name and had a high faluting idea of what it should be about—the name was Whispering Truth. The domain was available (shocking!) and I’ve kept it active for about six years now.

That was before I wanted to have a blog, to capture the swirling cosmic notions of what the blog should be about. In the meantime, I was developing my artistic voice and creative practive in a private studio.

And now, a few years later I feel ready to devote the time to actually writing the blog and culitvating a community. 

But after what?!

I had to believe that I had something to share and that what I know and have learned to do in my faith and art practice is worth sharing. And that it might benefit other creatives. (Ephesians 2:10)

I had to beg God for courage to change me and give me confidence to change my habits and ways of thinking. To be transformed by the renewing of my mind (Romans 12:2).  

I culled through all the advice and instructions from seminars, webinars and focus groups to select the habits and practices that would best serve me now to get the blog started. (Proverbs 16:9)

I also had to reach out to my art community and admit that I did not know how to do it by myself. (Proverbs 15:22)

I had to learn to trust God more and follow the nudges of the Holy Spirit. To be obedient even when it hurts and is embarassing. To learn lessons that seemed so obvious to others, to pray about anything that seems like a block to moving forward. 

I had to keep remembering that the desire to have a blog and to share my experience, understanding and knowledge did not come from Nowhere—but that it had been planted in me to do the good works that God prepared in advance for me to do.

I had to be willing to be pruned  for a purpose (John 15:2) and to learn that obedience breeds confidence.