"Bad artists copy. Good artists steal."
Pablo Picasso
The history of the word "steal" reveals it is an ancient word - entering language before 900, from the Norse word "Stelan" meaning to "carry off". Since that time it has come to mean "taking something that doesn't belong to you without expressed permission or compensation." Have you ever known a more common practice in daily life? As Picasso noted about the great artists, stealing is something we do almost every day.
We "carry off" or take from all the things around us. We take advice we hear on TV, or at the ice cream shop over a scoop of chocolate with sprinkles, and we use it to make our lives better. We take energy from the warmth of the sun and use it to give us strength to break ground and plant a garden. We take joy from the sheer happiness watching children or grandchildren at play can bring us, and we take pride in the accomplishments of people we love. Let's face it - we take, and take, and take. Nowhere is that more true - or wonderful - than in the realm of spirituality.
Spirituality is an openness to the ideas, wisdom and experiences we are exposed to and the ability to discern which of those things can enhance our faith and our life. Things we learn and "steal" to add into our understanding come from many sources. One of the great places for us to steal a lot of faith is stories.
The world is full of amazing stories. In fact, when you think about it - the Bible is a collection of stories (scholars prefer to use the term "narrative" because it sounds more churchy and doesn't upset as many people) - stories of strong women, faithful men, donkeys that talk, and rain that won't stop coming down for 40 days. When we are in one of those times in our life when it seems like the rain of disappointments, frustrations and garbage never ends - a story about an ark full of hope and a bird that returns with an olive branch can give us lots of comfort.
But we shouldn't seek spiritual stories solely from the bible or those self-help books you find at the Christian bookstore - in fact, only reading from those sources can limit and narrow our vision - which is the opposite of spirituality. Stories from interesting lives can inspire us. Stories of amazing courage can uplift us. Stories of sports triumphs can give us the power to develop our God given skills and stories that make us laugh can heal us. Watch movies, read novels, and listen to the world around you.
Don't be afraid to learn from fiction. After all, Picasso also tells us - "Art is a lie that makes us realize truth."
There's a story I love, in the form of a graphic novel (later made into a movie), in which a woman who has been questioning the world around her was tortured for a period of time as a cruel method of removing fear from her life. She emerges from her torture cell dirty, hurt, and more confused than ever . Needing fresh air, she runs to the rooftop to discover its raining. Unafraid, she steps into the rain, reaches to the heavens and lets the water cleanse her body and soul. She says aloud, "God is in the rain." When something has me spiritually lost or overwhelmed - I remember the freedom of standing in the rain letting it all wash over me and I regain my peace.
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| "God is in the rain." |
Spirituality breaks open the locked door of "I only know what I am supposed to know" and steals from history, tradition, nature, story, art, and life experience. It allows us not simply to plod down the well scripted path of rules and endurance but to dance in the rain, to find a mission in an uncharted territory, and live a life of adventurous faith.
So the next time a great inspiration, thought or understanding comes your way: encounter it, pray about it, discern if God has a place in your life, and if need be - steal it for your very own.
Photo: from V for Vendetta (c) 2006, Warner Bros Studios.
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