ABOVE PHOTO: On the left, “Rosetta and Christella” by Kaiah Hobbs (9); on the right, “Apple Tart Garden” by Kyla Hobbs (12)
By Dianna Hobbs
(From April 2011)
“Mom, we’ve got books for you!”
Kaiah and Kyla, 9 and 12 respectively, came skipping into my room excitedly clutching original hand-written and illustrated books. The two girls aspire to be authors and illustrators of children’s fiction; they are both quite dedicated to developing their craft.
For hours, the sisters sit laboring over drawings, writing tales and loving every minute of it. At any given time, I can find them intently focused on their work, with their sketching pencils, markers, paints, and other art supplies spread out in front of them.
Whenever they hand me finished products, I can hardly wait to crack open their short stories and sometimes, novelettes. I am constantly amazed by the richness of the plot, beauty of the metaphorical descriptions, impressive detail, and dimension of the sketches.
God has truly given Kaiah and Kyla wonderfully creative gifts. It had to be Him, because I promise they did not learn to draw from mommy and daddy!
Most remarkable, is the enormous amount of work the girls happily invest, simply because they are passionate about their calling. For the two of them, who say they want to go into business together someday, creating children’s books isn’t merely a hobby. They have a real sense of God’s mandate upon their lives to use their gift to write and draw, for His glory.
What a blessing to have that kind of focus at such a young age.
No one is paying them, passing out awards, or heaping praise upon them in front of big audiences–not unless you count their lame mom and dad gabbing about them during family gatherings.
I always tell my daughters, “If no one ever bought a single book you wrote, do it out of obedience to the call of God on your life.” I’m sure many people will purchase their books one day, but I want to reinforce the focus, passion, and sense of purpose they already seem to have.
And today, I want you to drink down an extra dose of focus from your cup of inspiration.
The focus and passion for fulfilling the divine mandate on your life has to become so intense, that you will write if no one reads it; sing if no one listens; serve if no one thanks you; help the helpless if no one else cares; be a blessing without seeking a payoff; and pursue your purpose without fixating on gleaning fruit from it.
If your focus is on glory, wealth, power, and fame, in quiet seasons when you don’t feel productive, you will be depressed, discouraged, and tempted to stop the pursuit of your vision.
But don’t do it. Don’t lose your focus.
I know what it’s like to do something out of obedience to God and then, nothing seems to happen. During these moments, God is working on our character and developing a pure heart within us. He wants to know that our passion for the fulfillment of His divine purpose through us, drives us above all else. When we adopt that perspective, then God can bring increase into our lives.
I can testify firsthand. God is able to expand and advance the vision He has birthed in you beyond your wildest expectations.
But there’s something you must remember, so I’ll leave you with this.
If you ever find somebody who walks in God’s favor, you can be sure you have stumbled across an individual whose focus is rooted in Matthew 6:33 which says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
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