Adorning the Dark by Andrew Peterson celebrates the beauty of storytelling through art and the calling of Christians to produce excellent work for the Kingdom. Peterson weaves in bits of memoir with his thoughts on what it means to be a musician, the writing process, and community’s role in the pursuit of creativity. But more than that, he brings home some excellent points about Christian calling in general, and why it’s so important to live out the lives God has given us.
As a well-known singer-songwriter and the author of The Wingfeather Saga, Peterson draws upon many years of experience in Christian arts. His stories are relatable, funny, and honest, and although I’m not involved in the professional music scene, I found there was much to be gained from his insights. He addresses each topic in the book with a curious mix of reverence and playfulness, a dichotomy that works to enhance the theme of the book: that it’s God’s message and we are merely the vessels.
I came away from the last page with the feeling of there’s other people like me out there! Other people who wrestle with their calling, who understand the soul’s need to relate through storytelling, who don’t want to be another blip in the white noise of society. But most of all, other people who believe that God is glorified when we live out our callings well.
So, as much as this book is for writers, singers, and artists, it’s also for everyone else out there. When in comes to Kingdom work, there’s no distinction between painters and preachers. All can be used to herald the Gospel.
If you follow my social media or have read any recent blog posts, you probably noticed that I’ve quoted this book a couple times already. That’s because it’s been a long time since a book has compelled me to come back to it after I put it down, causing me to usurp other obligations and desires in order to read. And for good reason. Other than the Bible and some poetry, I don’t think I’ve ever had a work of nonfiction move me in such a way as this one does. Perhaps it’s because it represents the current convergence of many threads in my life.
Because if I’m honest, the past few months have been a pleasant whirlwind of discovering my place in the Kingdom. Writing wasn’t always a priority. It was always something I enjoyed, but forever second to other things. And though I’ve had many people over the years from teachers to friends to mentors tell me that I should seriously pursue writing, there were other callings tugging at my heart. In my humanness, I usually think I know exactly how my life will play out, which is a pretty sure recipe for disappointment. Except in my case, I’m glad I didn’t have the reins.
You see, God knows best how to utilize us for His work. He is the Potter, after all, and we are the clay. Once I stopped resisting the Lord, He made clear the first steps. Then the next, then the next. Until one day, I woke up and found that I’m not writing as a hobby anymore–it’s my calling in the Kingdom. And it feels like I’ve woken up from a long sleep.
To bring it all back to the topic of this post, Peterson writes quite simply: “If you wait until the conditions are perfect, you’ll never write a thing” (p. 40). How much wasted time I could have saved if I’d only understood this at the outset! But then I would be lacking in some valuable lessons I gained along the way. And as I stand in the midst of this wonderful hurricane, I can see how it was all laid out in His perfect timing.
So now that I’m headed down the path the Lord put me on, I’m committed to living out my calling well. I’m forging the way ahead even though I can’t see all the signposts. But I rest assured knowing that my Guide already overcame the darkness of the world.