We've been surrounded and battered by troubles,
but we're not demoralized;
we're not sure what to do,
but we know that God knows what to do;
we've been spiritually terrorized,
but God hasn't left our side;
we've been thrown down,
but we haven't broken.
What they did to Jesus, they do to us
—trial and torture, mockery and murder;
what Jesus did among them, he does in us—he lives!
Our lives are at constant risk for Jesus' sake,
which makes Jesus' life all the more evident in us.
While we're going through the worst,
you're getting in on the best!
We're not keeping this quiet, not on your life.
Just like the psalmist who wrote,
"I believed it, so I said it," we say what we believe.
And what we believe is that the One who raised up
the Master Jesus will just as certainly raise us up with you, alive.
Every detail works to your advantage and to God's glory:
more and more grace, more and more people, more and more praise!
So we're not giving up. How could we!
Even though on the outside it often looks like things are
falling apart on us, on the inside,
where God is making new life,
not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.
These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times,
the lavish celebration prepared for us.
There's far more here than meets the eye.
The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow.
But the things we can't see now will last forever.
First Timothy 4:14 says,
"Don't neglect your gift."
Don't give up on your art.
Don't neglect your talent.
Don't worry about whether you're talented enough.
That's not the point.
Whether your gift attracts large crowds
or no crowds at all,
it is not to be neglected.
Be a full-time artist.
If you play, practice. Keep your chops in shape.
Learn those jazz riffs you've always wanted to learn.
Pull out some of the music you used to play in college and just play.
Go back for a few lessons.
Go see your favorite performer.
Fall in love with music again. Have fun.
Play for your enjoyment...
Remember, you're a full-time leader,
and a full-time artist.
This is not an either/or proposition.
By God's grace, be fully alive as an artist.
