"Worship happens when someone is doing exactly what he or she was made to do."

A Love Song About the Life God Has Given

Posted on by Michele Morin

In his theological writing, C.S. Lewis described an inconsolable longing, sehnsucht, and pointed to it as proof for the existence of God. In his fiction, Lewis’s characters vividly enfleshed that longing in their pursuit of mystery and their yearning for adventure. Unless we have fully anesthetized ourselves with Netflix and Amazon Prime, we all experience that sense of pining for something “other,” and in Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making, Andrew Peterson shouts a heartfelt admonition to pay attention to that longing.

The glorious creation narrative found in Scripture begins in Genesis, but it keeps cycling round:  a world, a nation, a church, and the pattern continues into present day living whenever believers take the risk and explore the mystery of making. Creativity comes in a multitude of forms comprising anything from artistic design to the creation of the perfect sandwich for a toddler’s lunch:

Since we were made to glorify God, worship happens when someone is doing exactly what he or she was made to do.” (11)

Peterson asserts that “intention trumps execution,” and this is good news, for just as it has been true in the gradual development of his own musical and writing career, we, too, will find that stepping out in faith unleashes an opportunity to “join with all nature in manifold witness to God’s great faithfulness.”

Enneagram Fours will feel seen and known as they read about a life characterized by big feelings and creative work as a matter of urgency. Peterson understands what it is to live by words, and with this in mind, I carried away three big picture principles for those who long to add their own melody and lyrics to God’s great love song of life:

1.  Resist Resistance

Perfectionism and fear, comparison and the powers of darkness all war against beauty. They are the enemy of the creative process for the glory of God.

Die to self. Live to God. Let your words and music be more beautiful by their death in the soil of worship, that the husk of your own imperfection might fall away and germinate into some bright eternal song only God could have written.” (45)

2. Boil It Down

Just as one gallon of maple syrup is the product of forty gallons of boiled down sap, usually the creative process is more sap than syrup at first. We write 1,000 words but only 550 survive the cut. Peterson calls this “selectivity”:

“Selectivity means choosing what not to say. It means aiming at the bull’s-eye. It means making sure the song is about one specific thing so that when folks are driving home from the show, they can say, ‘Remember the one he wrote for his son?'”  (113)

3.  Trust for the Next

Whether I am preparing to teach or pulling together a manuscript for consideration by an editorial team, it feels monumental and risky. I wonder if I can really pull it off, and waves of self-doubt threaten to come trickling under the door and into the room. Then I remember that God has led me over this ground before–maybe not the exact same process, but his faithful fingerprints are all over my story.

Peterson’s testimony is vivid on this point:

“Every song is an Ebenezer stone, evidence of God’s faithfulness. I just need to remember. Trust is crucial.”  (128)

Adorning the Dark is a memoir of one artist’s journey as well as a handbook, written along the way and then handed off to others who long to be good servants of our work, attentive hosts to our readers or listeners, and diligent explorers and trail blazers in the mystery of making.

Many thanks to B&H Publishing for providing a copy of this book to facilitate my review, which, of course, is offered freely and with honesty.

Grateful for courageous makers who have blazed the trail ahead of me,

Michele Morin

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees. If you should decide to purchase Adorning the Dark: Thoughts on Community, Calling, and the Mystery of Making, simply click on the title within the text, and you’ll be taken directly to Amazon. If you decide to buy, I’ll make a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Photo by Lorenzo Spoleti on Unsplash

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four sons, four daughters-in-love, and six adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

29 thoughts on “A Love Song About the Life God Has Given”

  1. Even though I am not an Enneagram Four, I think I need to read Peterson’s book. I loved the quotes you pulled from it to illustrate your 3 big concepts. “Die to self. Live to God”, oh, yes! It’s funny that you relate this book to song. The time I feel Lewis’ longing the most is when I listen to opera music. Thanks for the good recommendation, Michele.

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  2. If I were to choose one song to be my Ebenezer stone/song it would be: GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS. He has been so unbelievably faithful to me and mine. Great post as always – you make book reports so interesting. xoxo SS

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  3. Michele,
    “Every song is an Ebenezer stone.” I think for many of us, the creative process is the product of us working out our longing for God. We attempt to grasp the mystery. Every song, painting, drams, blog post is a testament to God’s faithfulness. Thanks for the encouragement to embrace the mystery in the making.
    Blessings,
    Bev xx

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    1. I caught a couple of podcasts featuring Andrew and his book, and that was what swayed me in the direction of the book, and I’m glad it did because it helped me to understand my 4 wing a bit better.

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  5. I’ve seen this book and wondered about it. Thanks for these glimpses into it. I love the boiled-down sap illustration. That seems to describe my writing. I have to get all the thoughts out, but then condense them (which I need to do even more).

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  6. I need to read this book, Michele! I love the thought about selectivity … I need to keep that in mind as I return to a project I’ve been putting aside for years. The “bullseye” is becoming much more clear to me lately … now I just have to boil all the content in my head and notes down to the maple syrup. 😊

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  7. I just heard of this book yesterday! It looks like a tender reflection, a deep introspection, pressing in to Jesus in this creative life. All of us could use more of that pressing in to Jesus in all of the creating.

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  8. thank you for this review, Michele 🙂 A friend of mine is a huge fan of Andrew Peterson and introduced me to his music. I have two daughters who are writers, and I think they’ll appreciate this book. Thanks for the recommendation!

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  9. Michele, this is a wonderful, and honest, review of this book. I do appreciate that! Thanks for linking up today and have a great weekend.

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  10. I’ve not heard of this book before, but it’s going on my list of books to get my hands on. I like what you had to say about it and the boiled down points you pulled from it….and I love the idea of “adding our own melody and lyrics to God’s great love song of life.” Obedience (doing that to which we are called) is worship. A good thing to remember!

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  12. We’re moving back to the town in the UK where C S Lewis was a pupil and it is documented that the streets lights there were the inspiration for The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. I understand selectivity, not just in our writings but our spoken words with others

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