By Betty Slade
PREVIEW Columnist
I’ve tried to hurry time. I’ve even tried to slow time. No matter the effort, I have never been able to alter the duration of even one second.
Manifesting a dream is something else that we may want to rush or experience at the pace of our choosing. But, like the beautiful tapestry it is, it takes more than desire to move the needle.
Have you ever felt that you were ahead of your time? I always contend that I was 20 years too early when I had a great idea — that no one bought. One of my daughters said recently, “I saw something on Pinterest that you made years ago.”
I remember when I used to paint on walls and doors. No one understood why I did it, including me. I just knew that my talent needed to take root before it could be known.
I recall painting on art palettes then using them as table placemats. Years later I saw something similar at Neiman Marcus selling for a hefty price. Either I didn’t trust my creativity or couldn’t see the value in what I wanted to produce.
A friend told me once, “Don’t you know that creativity comes under the umbrella of prophetic gifts?”
I do now. In fact, these days, every time I turn on the news, I see the evidence of foretelling that was written over 2,000 years ago. More and more I am realizing that we are living in a time when the reality of yesterday’s message is todays truth.
I’ve heard stories about a priceless piece of art sitting in a corner collecting dust, unknown, unappreciated. Then, in an instant, something is seen or heard that removes the shroud of mystery revealing a hidden gem. What made that moment take so long? Were we not ready for the veil to be lifted?
Artist and writer must work from far-sight. Their work or message is produced long before it is seen, heard or even understood.
In 2014, Mike, my market manager told me, “If you’re going to be a leader in the market, you have to produce your idea first. It doesn’t make sense to try to create the Hula-Hoop after people are already talking about it.”
Today, I tell authors in a writers’ group, “Write when the idea comes; if not, someone else will. Finish that book, because you never know when interest will strike.”
The prophetic comes from a different place. It has an origin that we don’t always understand as it is being dropped into our spirit. How much less do we understand how or when something will translate, when reality comes to fruition.
I was excited when I received an email from my nephew, Dave Slade. He and I have exchanged ideas and writing tips over the years. We champion each other with endeavors, and I am his biggest fan.
I was thrilled when I read the following: “My book is now #15 on Amazon’s Christian Mysteries. The Albuquerque Journal published an article on my novel, The Christ Virus and the parallels between the story and the Coronavirus.”
Dave wrote “The Christ Virus” in 2012. It was about a pandemic outbreak in the fall of 2019 that would devastate the world. He told a writer for the Albuquerque Journal, “I’m not by any means calling myself a prophet. It is almost like a revelation from God. I would never have thought this up on my own.”
Prophet or not, he was operating in the creative, a place that precedes us. His book came from a pastime. Dave is a student of current events. He is a nonfiction writer and former newspaper reporter who has written features for the Millbrae Sun (California). He has also written about politics for the Rio Rancho Roadrunner (New Mexico).
The plot for “The Christ Virus” is about terrorists who want to weaponize a virus, reducing life as we know it into hysteria or collapse. His character said, “We don’t need a bomb. We just need a bug.” The story is set primarily in Albuquerque and other parts of New Mexico, but is certainly relative to the world at large.
Dave told me that he knew little about virology when he started writing his novel. He had a hair-brained idea and decided to go deep into a study of how infectious diseases could become a munition. From that, a writing in 2012 that would become eerily similar to life in 2020.
Final brushstroke: Timing is everything, but it is not always synchronized with the clock on the wall. It is probably best since the creator of time knows exactly when to reveal things, giving meaning to the efforts of yesterday, today.
Readers’ comments
Send your comment to betty@bettyslade.com.
