A few weeks ago I got all excited about the idea someone mentioned to me of renting our house and my studio out as a VRBOs to make some money as we transition to a new location.
A property manager even came out to see it, took pictures, and started the contract process. On my part, I started making lists of what furnishings or supplies I needed to get for the house and studio, along with what I would need to do in the next couple of weeks to make this idea happen.
Then we went away for 10 days, and reality hit me. WHAT WAS I THINKING?! I would have 2 WEEKS to put it all together to be ready to list online for July. And I started to feel exhausted before I’d actually done one thing. Besides that, we would have had to find a place to rent in Cortez and move enough stuff to actually make some little place comfy for the summer. This early move seemed to make sense when we were in Cortez running errands for our reno team, making decisions about the project, etc., but lost its gleam by the time we returned home. Isn’t that why God gave us phones, computers, and Facetime after all?!
God is not a God of lack, but of abundance.
So here’s what I learned:
#1 God is not a God of lack, but of abundance. It’s not up to me to run around trying to find ways to fill the coffers being rapidly depleted by a renovation. He’s got this.
#2 I always feel excited, motivated, and focused when I have a vision for something new. I need to be careful of this.
#3 It’s those feelings that make me get up early and go to bed late full of energy and anticipation, and I LOVE THAT FEELING! Warning, Jan: they’re not coming from a healthy, God-given purpose.
Next time (and I know there will be one) here’s what I’ll do instead – I’ll weigh whether my seemingly brilliant idea, which makes so much sense in the moment, actually aligns with these:
Feelings are great, but they can get us in trouble.
#1Does it honor God as Provider, or is it an attempt to provide for myself? #2 Is it aligned with my God-given calling and purpose? #3 Does it use my gifts in ways that contribute to and reflect what is unique about me as an artist? As my mentor Matt Tommey says, does it come from and contribute to my own “Secret Sauce”? #4 Will it add stress and anxiety to our lives or will it bring peace? My Big Takeaway is that I can have those wonderful feelings that come from excitement, motivation, and purpose while living within God’s plans for me, and they’ll be lasting, not transient and disappointing. And it makes So Much Sense! Just remind me next time.
BE SURE TO CONNECT!
Artists are insecure. I can be insecure. As in, is anyone even reading what I post? Does it matter? Does is cause you to think about things in a different way? Am I annoying you? So please respond, even if it’s just to say that your 3-year-old grandson just peed on your carpet. I want to hear about you and your life! Your story matters to me.
That being said, I want to let you know that I’m going to put the monthly News From Jan’s Studio on vacay for the summer because, hey! I don’t have any real news right now! So we’ll keep in touch through this twice-monthly blog, ok? Have a great month, and HAPPY 4th OF JULY!