Saturated

“The market is saturated.”

I remember the first time I heard that phrase. My former-lawyer, current-mediator boss and I were talking about all the people coming out of law school. He shook his head in concern and said the sentence above. He wasn’t convinced they would find jobs. Not that there’s any short of lawlessness or injustice. But that there might be a shortage of money to hire them.

(And in many cases, the people who need a lawyer the most are the people who can’t afford one. Thank God for pro bono work.)

The thought of bright young people graduating from law school and ready to make the world a better place but not being able to find a job made me so sad. All that work for nothing? Is the market that saturated? Is there a limit to how many justice pursuers our country can afford? (Can you tell I come from a family of lawyers?)

I recently had a Disney artist in one of my coaching classes. We were talking about living our purpose (what else?) and she hit a wall.

“I’ve stopped making stuff,” she confessed to the group. “I feel like there’s already too much art in the world. Paintings lined up in my parents’ garage. Posters and pictures at every Bed, Bath & Beyond and Target and every other store.” She looked so defeated and discouraged. “What could I possibly add? Hasn’t it all been done?”

Her words stung my heart because I remember when I felt the exact same thing.

I had just started working at a magazine in Winter Park. Nearly every inch of wall in the whole office was covered by a bookshelf jammed with books. New books were coming in every day (with publishers hoping they would be reviewed and included in the magazine). And then I was assigned the job of going through the submission emails, which had gotten backed up as of late. There were literally thousands of unread emails, each containing an idea for an article, each wanting their chance to tackle a topic and be published.

At the end of my second day, I was convinced there were already too many words. Too many ideas, thoughts and opinions already out there. Why continue to pollute the world with the noise of more words? If Solomon is right and there’s nothing new under the sun (Ecclesiastes 1:9), why should I even bother? What could I possibly offer that hasn’t been said a million times in a million different ways?

Brad has a delightful, unwavering confidence in me and regularly tells me I need to write a book. I start whining through the above line of thinking. “It’s all been done, babe. Seriously, it’s all been said.”

So I told the artist what Brad always tells me, “Not by you.” Little did she know, I wasn’t arguing with her as much as I was arguing with myself.

I continued, “So you’re telling me the world has too much art? Too much beauty? Too much creativity already swirling around and being shared with the world and changing lives?”

“You know what I mean. Why should I even bother?”

I paused for a minute. “Because we have to. We can’t not do it. We were BORN to do it. And when we don’t do what we’re born to do, we get all grumpy and spiritually constipated.”

You laugh, but I’m not kidding. Here’s what God has been teaching me in this area the past couple years:

The system is rigged.

God created every person in the world with their own unique set of gifts and talents. And He wired us to feel alive when we use them and, conversely, to feel miserable if we don’t. Doesn’t it make sense for Him to make it so it feels good and right when we do what He wants us to do? You will never feel closer to Him than when you run your race.

As long as there is pain and suffering in this world, it must be answered by beauty. As long as there is life being snuffed out by terrorism, disease or age, life must be added to the world by those with an unshakable, deep hope that can only be inspired by God Himself.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:17

Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. Colossians 3:23

Robin Williams says it beautifully as Professor John Keating in Dead Poets’ Society. (Was there anything he said in that movie that wasn’t quotable?)

Psychologist Viktor Frankl said man’s chief pursuit is purpose, but if he can’t find purpose, he’ll settle for pleasure.

Author Donald Miller said man was created to create, but if he can’t create, he’ll settle for consuming.

Our eyes behold the brokenness of this world a hundred times a day. Tragedy, sadness, struggle, disaster, pain is everywhere we look. It must be countered by beauty. Yes, in nature created by God, but also in art created by man.

Our minds are constantly exposed to negativity. Bad news, dishonesty, arguing, accusing, belittling. It must be countered by words of life (Philippians 2:16), love, goodness and hope.

Believers must lead the charge in writing, painting, sewing, preaching, cooking, building, driving, coaching, playing, healing, designing, decorating, dancing, singing, whatever God has gifted us to do. The soul of mankind is up for sale and God uses the currency of creation and love to buy it back from its captors who stole it from Him in the first place.

What gift are you sitting on? What talent have you talked yourself out of showing to the world? And who besides you is suffering for the lack of it?

Yes, it’s all been done. But not by you. And for every unique gift deposited in the heart of a human being, there is another who needs to hear it, see it, experience it. Someone out there needs your unique spin, your unique voice to get it.

This is why I spend so much of my coaching career helping people fight the distractions and busyness of life to make room for them use their gifts. The world is starving for creation, no matter how many Targets and Bed, Bath and Beyonds there are.

You may get paid for it. You may not. But do it because you have to. Because you were created to. Because when you don’t, you feel like the walking dead, dying the death of a thousand meetings, assignments, deadlines and appointments. Then we chase pleasure to try to bring ourselves back to life, to make up for our lack of purpose.

Bring your fish and five loaves. Bring your water that’s not yet wine. You know what I’m talking about. You know what it is. Maybe it’s something you’ve never shared with anyone in your life. Maybe nobody knows you can do it.

But you do and God does. God knows you can do it. He gave you the ability. And He’s waiting for you to use it to His glory.

We don’t do it to be successful, to make money, to be famous. We do it because we have to. And we throw it out into the world trusting that God will use it in the life of whoever needs it.

The world would look dramatically different if everyone did what they were born to do. And the truth is, the world will look dramatically different if only a few did what they were born to do. And believe it or not the world will be changed if only YOU did what you were born to do.

And when someone is affected by your craft, your gift, they will ask you what my artist friend and I ask ourselves: Why?

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15

Or maybe they will just wonder, reluctantly and cautiously hope. Maybe it’s the first seed God plants in their soul or maybe it’s water on the seed planted by a fellow creator. We may never know the impact our gift has on the lives of others.

So whatever it is, do it. Make time. Do it in front of cheering crowds or amid scoffers and discouragers. Display it to the world or just do it in the quietness of your home. God is not wasteful. He wouldn’t give an ability without the expectation of it being used.

Lives are at stake. Mainly yours.

And God’s ‘market’ is never saturated.