Lessons from the Art Show

Recently, my husband and I coordinated an arts and crafts fair for our church. This wasn’t a fundraiser or a sale, it was just an opportunity for our community members to share their talents. We had artwork, jewelry, poetry, crochet and needlework, flower arrangements, plants—all sorts of wonderful creations by people we knew as insurance salesmen or high school teachers. I exhibited some of my paintings, too.

One of our church friends is a fine photographer, and I was hoping he would be willing to share his work. But when I asked him, he ducked his head, waved his hand, and said, “No, no, no…” He is a shy person, and somehow it seemed to embarrass him to put his own talent on display.

While I am not shy about showing my paintings (the bird of paradise here is one of them), this experience made me think about how shy I am about discussing my hand analysis business. I hide behind a website, or wait until a friend actually asks me about what I do before mustering the courage to talk about it.

What a lesson for me! If I am not willing to share this transformative gift with others, how will they ever have the chance to see it, learn about it, and improve their lives through it? My keeping quiet is equivalent to my photographer friend keeping his photo library locked in his closed computer—others will never be able to experience the gifts we have to offer.