One thing I gave up when I started having kids, was performing in live theater. My time once spent on stage, was taken up by babies who needed to nurse, or toddlers with “necessary” bedtime routines. Now my kids are older and not as needy. And I could audition again, but it makes my heart heavy to think of spending the evenings away from them, or having someone else pick them up from school, only to see them in morning when they wake up or when I tip toe into their room after rehearsal to kiss their sleeping faces. I have the luxury of the choice, and I choose to stay home.

But there are times when I drive past theaters, or see a production, and long for the days of living in the theater. I desire to build a character from scratch, relate with other cast members on-stage, and develop lasting relationships with them off-stage. As I see the theater in my rear-view mirror, I get lost in my dream world and compare what I have to what I wish I did, and wonder what I need to do to make my dream world a reality.

But I recently picked up the book, “Life Creative: Inspiration for Today’s Renaissance Mom”, where authors Wendi Speake and Kelli Stewart encourage my God-given talent, and challenge me to not give up the dream. But they also remind me to not be so caught up with me that I forget to have a Kingdom perspective in my parenting—

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19 ESV).

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8 ESV).

And though we may be “confined at home” for a season, our disciples are the little ones we are called to teach—this is part of our own Jerusalem. And with this in mind, Wendy and Kelli encourage us to teach with all we have. One author says,

Can’t you hear your children’s testimony years’ from now? “Mama loved me with all she had, so I trusted the One she said loved me most. Yeah, the Bible told me so too, but I sing it out, ‘Yes, Jesus loves me, my Mama told me so.’”

And my creative capacities are not lost at home. Sometimes I just need to recognize when and celebrate that I’m using my artistic and theatrical gifts there. Gifts so commonplace and easy to me that I don’t realize God’s using them—like when I make a Bible story memorable to my kids by using voices and inflections for different characters. Or when I embrace teachable God-moments, making my “mommy point” with passion and the use of story. And I do this for the sake of making disciples in my own little Jerusalem. How eternally rewarding.

As I read Life Creative, I’m reminded that other moms, like you, use your creative gifts everyday too—making dinner from scratch, creating art projects for your kids to participate in, taking pictures of your family, writing in your journal, singing songs of God’s love as you clean up the house. All of these are expressions of worship to God, and all of these artistic languages give us the opportunity to point our kids to Him, if we will recognize them as such.

We were all created creative, because we were all created by the ultimate Creator in His image. Maybe we just need to slow down and take a minute to recognize all the little ways He’s giving us the chance to use our gifts and passions at home, for this season. And be grateful.

Do I still miss the theater? Yes. And maybe one day I’ll go back there. In fact, I’m sure I will. But if I keep the Kingdom perspective that Life Creative suggests, I won’t go back with regret that I missed out on teaching my own little Jerusalem all they needed to know to make God famous.

Purchase or read more about “Life Creative”, at the Life Creative website.