He drew pictures on his church bulletin as a child. He created more detailed pencil drawings on the scratch paper that had one time served as a homework assignment. While waiting “on hold” at his desk, he doodled on note pads and on the inside covers of planners and brochures.
Then, at the age of 73, he got “caught.” His wife saw his drawings and said, “You should do that more often. You’re good at it!” Because they were traveling at the time, enjoying the quaint little town with the adorable little shops, she inched him over to the life-altering shelf in the local bookstore—the shelf containing the sketch books.
As her gift, she treated him to the hardbound copy in a medium size. It was small enough not to intimidate. It was of a nice enough quality to encourage.
And my dear husband has been sketching ever since.
So what about you? What is it that’s patiently awaiting its turn to shine through in your life? Are you a musician at heart? A writer? An artist? A teacher? Entrepreneur? Missionary? Philanthropist? Athlete? Speaker?
God has given you desires, gifts, abilities. And He states in Psalm 37:4 that He longs to fulfill them: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart” (ESV).
Maybe you don’t even know what abilities, gifts, or desires are lurking in the background, waiting to appear. Maybe they aren’t even present yet.
Maybe, just maybe, the thing you’re methodically doing now will lead to the action you will routinely accomplish in the future, which will lead you to the moment when that hidden desire will make itself known.
And when it does, regardless of your age or location, go after it. Use it in the season of life and for the specific purpose for which it has been honed, trained, and perfected.
God doesn’t make mistakes. He is not mean. His plan, His time, His purpose is always right. So keep doing, taking action, and working hard. The season you’re in is there for a purpose. Embrace it. Know that God entrusted it to you. Be encouraged.
And then, maybe doodle a picture on the back of your church bulletin. Who knows where it may lead.
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Does he show his sketch book to others? I imagine there must be airplanes in there for sure!
Darlene
Actually, he has done a lot of scenery sketches the last three years. Only recently has he started the airplane series. He’s planning to sketch each of the planes he has flown. I’m framing the originals for our bonus room and then making the photos of them into postcards (yay, Vistaprint and Shutterfly), so don’t be surprised if you end up with the whole series at some point!