Artful Living

This struck my heart this morning. I get disappointed. Some people think that because you have a positive outlook you never get frustrated or angry or upset. That is far from the truth. The truth is what you do with it that matters. This is artful living. One source defines art as "process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions."  How you move from the situation is pure art, placing life on a canvas. No one wants to be miserable...not truly.  None-the-less the disappointment is often the most difficult to deal with, and most often, I am the disappointer. 

I am disappointed when I forget an important birthday or anniversary.

I am disappointed when I fall asleep on the couch instead of exercising like planned.

I am disappointed when the meal I prepare doesn’t turn out to be a five start culinary masterpiece.

I am disappointed when I am not organized and I can’t find a bill or other receipt.

I am disappointed when I have a few free minutes and I don’t use them effectively or productively.

I am disappointed that there are fur balls on my tile floors and and my baby's knees are doing the dusting.

I am disappointed when I let the laundry get so backed up we will have to eat on TV trays for the next two years. 

SO do you ever feel this kind of disapointement…either in your self of in others? 

Here is an amazing verse I found today from a P31 devotional.

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another humbly in love."
Galatians 5:13 (NIV)

Then I read this: "When I am free from expectation, I am free to enjoy whatever comes."

Wow.

I was struck by a thought that hit like a freight train on jet fuel. I was reminded by my Dad’s gentle reminder and my Mom’s reference to this reminder. 

Lower your expectations. 

This goes against all I've taught and been taught about being your best, being mistake free, being an example to others etc. But as I pondered I realized its meaning is deeper... actually something different. Having super high expectations just sets you up for failure. Because we are human and we are bound by a flawed nature. So the next time I don’t get the kitchen totally clean at night and wake up to dirty dishes (like today) I am not going to stew in fruitless frustration. I am simply going to forgive myself and grab a dish cloth (or a match...ha ha, just kidding). How can this apply? How is artful living tangible in real life? Initiating God's involvement and surrendering to His total control frees you to be creative in how you handle every situation, big or small. It allows you to purposefully plan to work through each situation as an opportunity to be more creative. Beating yourself up defeats this purpose. Artful living is joyful living. And in Christ, it is abundant living.