Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might;
I don’t remember learning the second part of the verse:
...For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge,
Nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.
Another translation says, “In the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom” (NIV). It didn’t just stop at “the grave,” but emphasizes the place “where you are going.”
That’s kind of harsh, right?
It's true though. We will take to the grave with us all our unfinished work and planning, and all our unspoken knowledge and wisdom.
This whole post is mainly for people who have a creative tendency. I love ideas, but I’m no expert at finishing things. Ideas are free, and talk is cheap. If you don’t capture your ideas and give them life here on earth, they will die with you and be as useless as your dusty corpse. Your ideas and how you execute them are unique to your individual mind. When your brain dies, so do they.
Do you have stuff floating around in your head?
Words you’ve thought about setting to music…
A tune you sing that needs to be written down...
A story you’ve meant to write about some quirky characters you imagined…
A song you’ve meant to learn and rearrange to make it your own…
An essay you’ve half outlined in your mind…
That skit that would be perfect in a certain setting...
The Bible study you were going to organize and publish…
A meaningful card or e-mail you should send to a loved one…
Some encouragement you have to offer if you didn’t mind sharing your story…
An inspiration you can give if you can acknowledge your weaknesses…
The most dangerous place for ideas is in the back of your mind. They float in and out of consciousness. You notice them occasionally, like glimpses of fish surfacing in a lake. If you are content just to know they are there and somewhat contained, you will never know them intimately.Maybe you’ve reached for them before, and you were disappointed at how they looked up close.
It’s okay to be picky. Identify the most important ideas, and isolate them. Then, no matter how much patience it takes, and no matter how elaborate a trapping system you will need to catch them, capture them. Find a way. Make the floaty thoughts tangible, and incorporate them into your world. Give them words, or sounds or whatever they need. Shape and re-shape until you have something to share. Finally, preserve them so they will outlive you.
Don't do this for Heaven’s sake, but for Earth’s sake. Think about the people around you who could be blessed or changed by your ideas. You could encourage someone, offer new hope or increase someone’s faith. You could lighten their load by making them laugh. You could strengthen their resolve by identifying with them. Let those people by your inspiration.
See? It's not really morbid after all.
Mark Twain said, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do.” That has been true in my life. Get away from whatever is holding you back. Get over your perfectionism. Get a handle on your fears. Start small and imperfectly, and make an idea a reality.
And if you notice me slacking in this area, feel free to e-mail me a link to this post.
-- This idea started out as a fleeting reaction to that verse in Ecclesiastes. I sketched it down in the summer of 2013. I worked on it and forgot about it multiple times. Finally I got the unction to post it after a nudging reminder from a friend that “regret is a hard thing to live with.” So now I’m minus one regret and it feels great.
