When I am reading to my children, I am half-asleep, I am not distracted, my defences are down, and for me that is sometimes the best time to hear God. The latest one is Patrick by Quentin Blake, a tale of wonder and music. You can read the story here: https://archive.org/details/Patrick-Eng-QuentinBlake
The message in this amazing book is so strong that it leapt out at me as I read each line. To summarise: Patrick is a young man who sets out one day with his one silver piece to buy a violin. As he starts to play, wondrous things begin to happen all around him: fish start singing, cows start dancing, and ribbons sprout from a little girl’s shoes. I think we can learn a lot from Patrick.
1. He is single-minded. He wakes up and goes to buy a violin. He is not distracted by the other stalls at the market – he knows what he set out for.
2. He gives up all he has for this violin (his only silver piece) and he receives it with joy.
3. He can’t wait to start using his gift: ‘He was so pleased that he ran as fast as he could out into the fields… Then he sat down by a pond and began to play a tune’. He uses it straight away; he doesn’t hide his gift.
4. As he starts to play his song, which is the thing that he is meant to be doing, the universe joins in. Fish start to sing, pigeons grow bright new feathers, cows start to dance, and trees grow ice creams and slices of hot-buttered toast. Everything is made more beautiful in the presence of the music. This reminds me of the principle of synchronicity in The Artist’s Way, a fantastic book about creativity. Things start to happen when we’re walking in the way that we should go. Julia Cameron says: ‘Once you accept that it is natural to create, you can begin to accept a second idea – that the creator will hand you whatever you need for the project… Expect the universe to support your dream’.
This includes creativity, but is more than that, it is who we are, whatever our gifts, whether hospitality, teaching, speaking different languages, woodwork. Whatever it is that makes us who we are.
5. When faced with a situation that he doesn’t know the answer to – the arrival of the ill and miserable tinker and his wife, Patrick uses his gift anyway. He says ‘let me play my violin and see what happens’. In the presence of the music, the tinker gets fatter, loses his cough and his cold and becomes happy again.
6. Patrick has no control over the outcome and he isn’t worried about that; he just does the part that he is responsible for: he uses his gift and plays.
7. People are drawn to him as he releases joy – the two children: Kath and Mick, the tinker and his wife, all the animals and birds. They are all enjoying the journey and want to stay in the presence of the music and walk alongside Patrick. People keep company with those that are covered in glory. They want to see what is going to happen next.
To me it is like a modern day parable with lessons blazing out from it. I’m talking about going after the passions of our life, using our giftings boldly, living the life that we were created to live.
So what can we take from this?
1. Be single minded – when you have found what it is that that you are meant to be doing, go after it single-heartedly. To some of us, God has given a gift of encouragement. Let’s not just use it in the church but everywhere we go. To some, God has given a gift of music, or of cooking beautiful food. Whatever God has blessed you with, can I encourage you to give it away and to use it wherever you can. When we walk in our true identity, and we bless those around us, we are spreading the kingdom, and we are spreading God’s love. In Patrick, the blessing that Patrick spreads is visible, in our day to day life, we may not always see it but it is happening nonetheless. 2 Corinthians 2:14 says:
‘But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.
This is what we take with us as we live our lives, the sweet aroma of the knowledge of him.
2. Give up everything you have for the life that God has called you to live; it is worth it.
3. When you receive your gift, use it all the time, in every situation that you can. Also, Patrick starts to play the violin as soon as he receives it. We are so often scared to share what we have, believing that we aren’t accomplished enough but God loves our offerings and they can touch hearts.
4. Patrick doesn’t panic when he doesn’t know what to do in a situation, and so don’t worry about things that are beyond your control, just concentrate on what God has given you to do and see what happens. Life is a symphony and we can do just what we can do, and it all works together. Trust God that in this topsy turvy life, that he can use your offerings.
5. If you are walking in the light of your true identity, people will see freedom and authenticity; they will be drawn to you. Your light will liberate others.
So can I ask you all to close your eyes. I want you to imagine that you are going to the market. Have a look around at all the stalls. Ask God if there is something for you to pick up, something that is just for you. You may have picked it up a long time ago, but maybe it is languishing in a dusty cupboard. You may be using it daily, just like Patrick. I went to the market a good few years ago and I saw a pen there waiting for me and I picked it up. And once you have picked it up, put it to good use, and steward it well. Enjoy the unfolding of freedom all around you as you join in with heaven’s symphony. Be bold and take steps to use your gift even though it takes courage. Just to give an example, I am a writer and although I have had a few stories and poems published, I have not reached my goal of having a book published, but what I can do is share my poems with friends and family. I am investing time into my gift, in honing and shaping it through a mentorship scheme. I am giving it away as I teach creative writing workshops. Let’s not let these things lie dormant in us. Like in the parable of the talents, let’s invest in our gifts and honour what God has given us. So I want to encourage you, is there anything else you can do to live in your giftings from day to day? I love this verse from Galatians 6:4-5 (The Message version) that says: ‘Live creatively, friends.. Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given and sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take the responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.’ We can’t compare ourselves because God has made us all different. So don’t worry if your calling doesn’t look like someone else’s calling. Just listen to the voice of God and keep walking on your own path. I think that church is a bit like a kitchen garden, a place that is sheltered from the wind, where there is good soil to grow. This is our safe space. So let’s flourish here and part of this is that we encourage each other. If there’s something that you notice that someone has a real gift for, tell them! Kind words go a long way.
Imagine that you are Patrick and you are walking in the knowledge that you are God’s beloved son or daughter. All things are possible before you. It’s not about how good we are but how much God loves us and delights to use us to bring the knowledge of him to a world that doesn’t know him. What if this life were an open field of permission? What if we’re all lined up ready for the race and God is saying ‘Come on! You’re my daughter, you’re my son, I love you!” and then we all start to run towards him like children? And it’s not about competition. It’s about us all running our own race, towards the father, into his arms, for his glory.
To end, this quote from Marianne Williamson shows how we are all meant to be Patricks, walking joyfully down the road, using our gifts, watching the glory of God unfold around us.
‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.’
There is a deeper exploration of these thoughts in my book Circles: Nurture and Grow Your Creative Gift by myself, Elisabeth Pike. You can get it in all good bookshops and also in my Etsy shop here.
elisabeth pike 