lasting creations

There have been many creations throughout history that have lasted but a month. We needn’t worry if one of those creations happens to be ours.

How many pieces of art have been produced in high schools around the world in this past year? Many. How many do we know now? How many will be hanging in a gallery 500 years from now, remembered and revered? Not many.

Is it still worth creating, then? By all means! Creation is a living act. Because it is living, creation begets more creation.

The creator, therefore, should neither worry about how long their creations will last nor what they will create 8 years from the present day. Creators need only concern themselves with what they will do today and leave the staying power of their creation to God. People will be fickle—and not just the critic: even artists will change their mind about their own creations when such creations are but 5 months old. So, don’t entrust the staying power of your creations to people. Entrust such a thing to God and God alone. He knows what people need today and he knows what sort of hope is suited for each time and town. If your creation inspires but one person for but one day, then let it be so. If it inspires five trillion people for many years to come, then let it be so. In either case,

create something beautiful today,
since today is all you have
and it is already beautiful
because our beautiful God created today
so how could today’s today be anything but beautiful?

We are destined for beauty; therefore, we do well to let today’s beauty beget more beauty through us.

I believe it will. It is only natural.

And if your creation should die with today's death, let it die. Don’t trouble yourself overmuch about that. Tomorrow you shall have another today--if not in this life, certainly in the next. And there, in our life after death, no thing shall pass away. So, practice creating today and let tomorrow worry about itself.