“Risk is a part of creativity. Maybe no one will embrace your idea. Maybe no one will like it. Worse, maybe everyone will love it and more will be expected of you. The possibility of success and the threat of failure both produce strangling fears that keep us from participating, but in view of God’s mercy we should offer our creativity, our very selves.” ~ Alice Bass
Sometimes we experience a failure to launch. But, as the above author notes:
1. It doesn’t matter who likes my work or not.
2. The focus is not so much my audience anyway.
God is the focus of our creative life. Yet we’ve let our fears about creativity cripple us. It’s time to move forward and launch those projects.
What projects still hide in your heart’s closet? What’s holding you back?
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on August 23, 2007 - 10:57 pm
Victoria,
I’ve come to your blog for the first time tonight. God breathed life, ministry and conviction through your post.
I am on the launching pad. However, the countdown has been aborted more times than. . . No, in reality I don’t even start the count. I am immobilized. Not knowing why I want to venture out, what kind of craft I might get on and where it might take me.
I know God is calling me to move forward. Commanding me to use His talents. I just don’t know the next step to take. I will visit often and continue to find God through the process. Thanks for your encouragement.
on August 24, 2007 - 8:55 am
Hello.
I frequent your site most days to find your word of wisdom for me. Can’t even remember where I first found you….maybe from Christian Women Online.
Anyhow, thank you for investing time in encouraging others.
I am in my 40’s, my youngest just graduated from high school, and I am beginning my writing adventure. I home schooled my children the whole way, 15 years, and now I am finding out what I want to be now that I am in a new season of my life.
Thank you for your words. I hope to someday be a published writer, because I cannot get away from the Lord’s promptings to keep writing even though at times I have no idea what I am doing or exactly how to get it done! But God is good, and you are helping me as well.
Be Blessed!
on August 24, 2007 - 10:56 am
Thank you for posting this. It gives words to what I’ve been feeling for the last two years as I wrote my novel.
Michelle
on August 26, 2007 - 3:11 pm
You’ve received an award…
http://paulaswalk.com/2007/08/26/nice-matters-award/
on August 28, 2007 - 12:35 pm
Linda, so glad to hear from you. Wanted to follow your link but didn’t find one. Will pray for you on that launching pad….God will show you the way.
Michelle, thanks for posting here. I’ll be sure and pray for your writing endeavors as well. Novels are hard work, but am glad you’re persevering. God bless you.
Paula, thanks so much. This is a nice encouragement considering the week I’ve had. Blessings!
on August 28, 2007 - 12:37 pm
Dara, you may laugh, but I have no idea what I’m doing either:-) Thanks for sharing where you are right now…that will help others as well. I’ll pray for you, as the Lord guides your steps. Keep writing.
on August 28, 2007 - 1:53 pm
[...] Then I came across a blog post that put all my dithering in perspective. Here it is: Failure to Launch. In this thought-provoking post, Victoria Gaines asks: “What projects still hide in your heart’s closet? What’s holding you back?” [...]
on September 10, 2007 - 3:24 pm
I read about this “Failure to Launch” on Jean-Christine’s blog and had to check it out. You’ve hit the nail on the head sister. Children have that innate ability to be free and uninhibited, and we as adults lose that somewhere on the road. If we can regain that freedom somehow, rockets will be blazing like the fourth of July constantly. Remember, it’s God’s opinion that really counts, no one else’s