I follow several 'crafty' blogs as well as the other, non-crafty ones. I am addicted to creating beautiful cards and love to check out what others are doing, for inspiration, and if I'm honest, to also give me a bit of an ego-boost sometimes! (...as I find that actually much of what I 'do' is at least of an equal standard to much of what I see online, if not sometimes - dare I say it - better...!!)
Anyway, I visited one of my bookmarked blogs just tonight (I will keep it nameless for now...) and saw a card on there, which had the following sentiment as the focal point:
"Life isn't about finding yourself, Life is about CREATING yourself"...
The card itself is absolutely stunning, but I had to post something, anything - my reaction to the sentiment on it.
Because I instantly cringed when I saw it.
Because I so completely disagree with it, which has quite taken me by surprise...!
Because I believe GOD has created me, and that one of my purposes in life, my job, is precisely to discover myself - to find out who He has created me to be. Who the 'real' Rachel is. Who He meant me to be - and become...
It's not up to me to create myself, because I am 'God's craftsmanship' - His work of art.
I am not my own...
Have I got this completely wrong??
I don't know if I'm being totally over-the-top here, but it was such an immediate, and strong, gut reaction, and I know for sure I would never, ever, be able to use such a sentiment on one of my cards! I usually quite like most of the sentiments one can use on cards, although some of them are pretty 'naff' and a bit too sickly-sweet for my liking. But this, to me, is actually very 'humanistic', and in being so, to me is also deeply arrogant and self-sufficient. I need God too much, and am eternally grateful that it's His job to create me, and mine to discover what He has done and is still doing.
What do you think?.....
4 comments:
I'm actually cringing because I don't really believe that that is what life is about to begin with!
Even were it to say "Life is about DISCOVERING yourself." It kind of falls into the lines of "Have it your way!" or "Because you're worth it!"
I agree with you, friend! :)
Although, to be fair, lots of stamps and scrapbooking supplies out there have more of such empty sayings... we should make our own God-filled supplies, yes?
Because He should infuse all we do.
I send love! (((thoughtful, discerning you)
This self sufficient, arrogant humanist supported you in your baptism despite entirely different beliefs.
Don't deride and criticize what you haven't tried to understand - you will find that the general ethos of most humanists.
It was a through away comment in a card - leave it as that.
I wish you well on your move and I will always be here for you as a friend but I will never be able to offer you prayers or guidance from the gospel.
Dear Anonymous... Do u wish to disclose your name??....
Eek, the beauty and curse of the Internet. So easy to offend, be offended, to misunderstand and be misunderstood. Don't you just love/hate it!!!
My two penneth worth is that discovering and creating are two ways of looking at self. I like the discovering part as I'd like to think that I'm wonderfully made by a creator...that gives me hope that underneath the mud and dirt is something precious. I also like the create approach as I know that I'm not a finished product...that I'm in the process of being broken and rebuilt...that God is working on me, that I am working on me. I do have god given attributes that can be built on.
Anyway, bottom line...we are ALL intrinsically priceless and in the process of being refined to become hopefully something better. I know I'd rather have the master craftsman involved than do it on my own.
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