How shall we sustain the human drive and motivation to continually strive for peace and do good? 

It shouldn’t take too long to figure out that if we really want to make a lasting difference for good that goes beyond serving our selfish needs, then there needs to be a higher order that governs and sustains our capacities for being, doing, and knowing good. 

What steps must we take to access and express such higher order creativity in the new year?

First, throw off the dead weight that is holding you back from putting your energy and focus into things that really matter in the long run. 

Second, the best creativity happens when we are least anxious about our lives. Think about all the “what if…” statements that keep you up at night causing you to lose sleep or that constantly distract you. Could it be a lack of faith? Are we ultimately depending upon ourselves rather than on the Ultimate Creator of All for things our food, clothing, and shelter? 

Third, throw all the dead weight of anxiety upon the Creator. Hand it off; you don’t need to carry it into the next moment, leave alone into the next year. Don’t fall for gimmicks that promise short-term results—holidays, relationships, even drugs and drinking. The things that make us anxious are real issues that don’t merely go away. These must be dealt with, but we don’t have to deal with it alone. Counselors, well-meaning relatives and friends can help to some extent (stay away from the destructive power of gossip mongers!). But lasting healing will come only from the Creator who created you and knows you through and through. This is the assurance that comes from faith, which is real knowledge that brings life and sustains our creativity in the long run. 

Consider,

What “dead weight” are you carrying that is unnecessarily holding you back from achieving your true and full creative potential? Unforgiveness and holding grudges are some examples. 

They say that unforgiveness is a bitter pill that we swallow hoping someone else will pay for. In reality, bitterness takes root in our hearts and bears the fruit in keeping with its root. When we harbor unforgiveness in our hearts, we come across as bitter and leave a bitter taste in the mouths we feed with our creativity. 

The dead weight of unresolved issues of unforgiveness are too heavy and worthless to carry in to the next moment, leave alone next year. But it’s not easy to forgive. Granted. Which is why we need to rely on the Greater force of the Creator and Sustainer; we must first know in our hearts that come what may that we ourselves are completely forgiven. And it is from this place of wholeness and healing that we can extend forgiveness to others on an ongoing basis, to the extent that when we are ridiculed and provoked by others, our natural response is to be unmoved by such stimuli. Rather, drawing from our unending and overflowing reservoir of grace, we can bless those who revile us. This is not to say that we must willingly take all ridicule lying down; but that’s a topic for a another day.

Create with confidence (“con” means “with”; fide means “faith”). The question is confidence in what. The suggested answer is not in ourselves or other finite solutions, but our confidence is in the One and Only Everlasting Love of the Creator.

Hope you have a great start to the New Year!