“Nothing worth doing is completed in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing true or beautiful makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore, we are saved by love.”
– Reinhold Niebuhr –
I am wrestling with the idea of creation. I am wrestling with the truth that any act of creation requires far more than the actual doing of the thing; far more than a “Eureka!” moment that galvanizes action. I am wrestling with the fact that creation, as a choice, requires letting go of what I think it should be to create the space for what it may become.
If I choose to be among the creators, I choose to start something that cannot be finished; something that may not be understood; something that will demand an unmatched level of connection to and relationship with others. I choose to walk a new path rather than one well-worn by the cavalry of what’s been done.
Niebuhr provides us with the framework against which to apply our creative aspirations. I can almost hear him urging us to let go of completion, sense-making and the trap of “I must do it myself or it doesn’t really count.” He is urging us to trust that beginning is enough. If it is of deepest meaning to us, begin it. And, once begun, follow where it leads, nurture it to strength and call on the help of all who will help it grow.
Is it worth doing? Is it true and beautiful? Is it possible only in relationship with others?
Yes?
Then, with hope, faith and love in your heart, begin it.
© 2010 David Berry
© 2010 David Berry
