by Sarah Van Diest @SarahVanDiest

The Entry

Picture yourself sitting where you write. You have your keyboard or your pen and paper, however you write, and you are ready to begin your work for the day. The ambiance you love writing in has fully surrounded you. Perhaps it’s the warm sun taking off the morning chill as you sit by the window; no one else is around and all you hear are the faint, subtle sounds of birds. Or maybe the perfect level of buzz has found its rhythm in your coffee shop of choice. Your mug steams and emits the bittersweet scent of your favorite blend. Your energy level is just right and all is ready.

The Movement

Then the ideas hit. They come so quickly your hands can’t keep up. You write and write and write and write. You enter a frenzied, focused zone of activity as you disengage completely from those perfect surroundings that helped get your proverbial juices flowing. Time passes without your recognition of a single moment going by. To onlookers, you may appear nearly comatose, except for the movement of your hands.

The End

And then you stop. You lower your hands and they rest in your lap. You realize you’ve been hunched over, so you straighten your back and stretch your legs. Taking in a deep breath, you look around. The sun no longer feels good. It’s hot. The coffee shop is no longer buzzing with energy but with a couple of stray flies. The seat you’ve sat in for the past several hours is no longer comfortable. The moment has passed. The energy spent. The work, for now, is done.

What just happened? And what in the world just landed on my page? Is it any good? Does it even make any sense? And why can’t I feel my left leg?

Has this ever happened to you? Can you relate?

The Flow

This is often called “flow.” When we engage in an activity to the point of losing ourselves in it, we have entered the flow. The concept has been around for thousands of years and has been studied from multiple angles: how it happens, how to make it happen, what can prolong it, what can prohibit it, etc.

We know that certain brain types are more likely to experience flow more frequently, and others less often. We also know that some, particularly artists, have gone from flow to madness. Schizophrenia has a relationship with flow that researchers have found both fascinating and frightening.

Religions across time have used flow as part of the religious experience.

Sports use the idea of flow, often calling it “the zone.”

Musicians use flow.

Linguists use flow.

Mathematicians use flow.

Surgeons use flow.

And yes, we writers use flow.

A Reflection

Because of my personal worldview I see flow as something God gave us for creative purposes, for us to use to reflect His glory to the world. When flow is enacted, our bodies reflect peace: heartrate drops, blood pressure drops, breathing is deep and full, and the things of earth (time, hunger, temperature, etc.) grow strangely dim. Flow gives a high that comes from our own created bodies. There must be something in it that reflects what God intended.

The Creator

Our Father, the Great Creator, made us in his image. We are the Imago Dei. We have been given the capacity to create wonderful things for His glory and our enjoyment. Part of that enjoyment, I believe, is flow. I see it as a way in which our very earthly, grounded experience enters in with the Father and His creative abilities. Our breathing matches His, our heartrate matches His, our minds work in concert with His… at least that is what I like to believe.

Flow is a time to be at one with the Father and to worship Him in our work as creators.

Enjoy the toil of your hands. Praise Him when flow happens. I see it as a gift. I think it is!

What environment helps you enter your flow with the Father and the creative part of you? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Sarah Van Diest is a writer and editor. She’s the mother of two boys, stepmother to three more, and wife to David. Sarah wrote God in the Dark as letters to a dear friend whose life was turning upside down. She’s done this for years for numerous friends and will continue to, Lord willing. It’s her gift to them. It’s hope written down.

When you are in the dark places of your life, Sarah Van Diest offers a companion for the path you are walking. You will find a voice of comfort and truth to call you back to the light, to help you see that you are never alone, never too far gone, and never unloved. This collection of 31 devotions doesn’t minimize the reality of your struggles, but rather points you to where God is—walking right alongside you. Receive this hope in the pain, God in the Dark.