Day 24 of the 30-Day Challenge: Creative Movement:
Task: To have my first-ever online Bible lesson recorded through Zoom (to eventually be delivered on YouTube).
Reason for Task: I’ve been given the privilege to deliver the message of God’s Word through an online medium to potentially reach people all over the world. What an honor — truly! I can’t think of a better way to use my creative content skills during this “Creative Movement” than to use them to glorify God in the hearts of people who have an ear to hear. And “no”, I’m not actually creating content in the sense of creating content. I’ll be using God’s Word as it rightfully stands (not adding to or taking away from it — those are no-nos) and will attempt to bring out a message from it that people need to hear.
I’ve been blessed to have the ability to write (not saying I’m all that or anything of the sort); but what writing abilities I do have I believe have been a gift given to me by God. There are many times I look back over my writing and I truly wonder, “How did I even manage to come up with the words to say in the way that I said them?” And then, I chalk it up to being a God thing. Or, I wonder how I was able to form words on the page in a moment of time when I didn’t have any idea what I was going to blog about for that day. And then I remember, God is good and He’s given me the mind to formulate those words to say.
The ideas that keep a-comin’ . . . well, I won’t necessarily say that they’re all God-given, but I do believe that he’s with me when I write. Case in point: when you can be dog tired and still manage to coherently string words together on a page that are some of the most uplifting words you’ve ever written in your entire life. Who can you possible attribute that to? Sure, many people may say it was their inner strength that kicked in and came through. And I’m not going to knock that.
I definitely think there’s an inner strength that manifests itself in some people when they’re seemingly up against the wall and have no help in sight. But as for me personally, when I face those types of challenging times, I’ve learned to thank God for giving me the strength to do what I needed to do (even in the face of adversity). But that’s just me. That’s the spiritual side of me that needs to be just as present as the physical and mental sides of me. It’s just who I am.
So, when I was asked to prepare a Bible lesson that would be recorded and put out on the YouTube channel of the online community/congregation I belong to, I immediately felt some anxiety about the whole thing. Not because I didn’t love God’s Word or value the goal before me, but because to who much is given much is required. This particular content creation goal would definitely not be one I could take lightly or botch up. We’re talking about God and His Word and delivering God’s message to the people (not your own skewed interpretation of His message to the people).
Okay, I’m going off on a tangent. But hopefully, you’re understanding just how important this goal-setting challenge was and is for me. I mean it wasn’t even a “live” recording and I was feeling so much anxiety over the whole thing. Guess it’s because I want to be a blessing through the words that I say and the message of hope, encouragement, and truth I bring out to others through the most life-impacting book known to mankind.
Okay, so I’m not preaching — just getting the emotional impact of today’s task out in this blog post.
I’ve been feeling so much anxiety about not doing this Bible lesson justice and looking absolutely out of place doing it. And then I had to remember: I was placed in this position for a reason; and what I do know about God’s Word is something worthy enough to share with others for their life betterment. If I can do it for this blog, then I surely can do it for God.
Duration of Task: 1 Zoom setting. It took weeks to prepare the lesson, of course; but once we were able to record, we recorded in one take in one Zoom setting (less than 40 minutes). By the way, this recorded lesson is not all she wrote. I’ll start preparing lesson #2 very, very soon. The Bible lessons will be an on-going goal for the foreseeable future.
Outcome of Task: Having this Bible lesson recorded Zoom-style was quite the experience. A dear Sister of mine assisted with the introduction of myself and my daughter (who read the scriptures I discussed) and she manned all the technical aspects of getting the presentation recorded. She was awesome! Even though recording the lesson in the manner in which she did it was very new to her, she handled it like a pro. The Bible lesson was recorded successfully.
And although I was totally nervous and out of my comfort zone, I was able to do what I needed to do. Once I repeatedly worked through my nerves, which was periodically throughout the whole 20+ minute presentation (I forgot to ask my Sister how long it actually was), I started feeling a presentation flow. And I knew God was getting me through this thing. And when it was all said and done, the compliments and encouragement I received from the ladies present on the other end of my computer screen (way on the East Coast) to my daughter (in my house in the Midwest) sealed the deal. I did all right. Let me just say, I came away feeling successful with today’s goal.
I even had to celebrate afterwards, because I felt so much of a release from the pressure I’d been feeling. So, I took my daughter up on the invite she’d given me to go along with her to a botanical gardens event with a bug exhibit for the kiddies. Her employer was sponsoring a free admission day for the employees and what better timing. I needed to do something to release all the pent-up emotions I had developed but could let go finally. My son also tagged along and it was an enjoyable time. Then on top of that, I watched an animated film with my children to bring an end to a really incredible day. Whew!
I never thought, in a million years, that I would have such an opportunity to do something so incredibly important. But, here I am, using my creative content skills truly for the betterment of peoples’ lives on a whole other level that totally surpasses anything I could ever do on this blog. (And you know how I highly regard what I do at Degrees of Maternity). But I ain’t gonna lie, what I do for Degrees of Maternity pales in comparison to what I do for God — ALL DAY EVERY DAY.
Practical Application of Day 24 for Your Life: It’s okay to feel nervous and anxious about tasks that are important to you. It just means you want to do right by them. It also means that you recognize how truly beneficial these tasks you perform can be in others’ lives. Doing the uncomfortable work (or the work that takes you out of your comfort zone) can be some of the most impactful work you’ll ever do in your life. Try to relish those moments, knowing the uncomfortable work you do will not be done in vain (if you’re doing the right thing).
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