The Blank Canvas Dilemma

Simple Steps To Get Unstuck

A blank canvas can be intimidating, daunting, and overwhelming. Whether it’s an actual stretch of white waiting for paint, an empty document daring you to type, or the vast openness of life without clear direction—nothingness has paralyzed me more times than I can count.

I suppose there are a few of you reading this who may be of the “glass half-full” variety. Blank canvases are filled with potential, endless imagination, and a world of possibilities.

I am not that person. I wish I were, but I generally see a half-empty glass, and when I do happen upon a full glass, I see a glass that is about to spill and make a mess.

Hopefully, I have painted a sufficient picture to adequately communicate the depth of despair that the blank canvas dilemma has created in my life because what I am about to share with you has gotten me unstuck time and time again.

I remember when I had gone to great lengths to break an addiction and uproot lies that I had been believing. A veil had been removed from my eyes, and on some level, I felt as if I was getting a second chance at life—the slate was wiped clean. I had a real existential crisis in that moment. Who am I? Who do I want to become? How do I move forward? The blank canvas was traumatic and terrifying.

But here’s the truth: the canvas doesn’t make the masterpiece; the brush does. The paint colors do. Your heart does. God does. The canvas doesn’t. We get paralyzed by looking at the thing that holds the least power. The canvas merely gives witness to the vision; it is simply the resting place of the expression, it doesn’t create it. In the same way, your life isn’t defined by its emptiness, but by the things you hold.

If you’ve ever stared at your life and thought, I don’t know what I’m supposed to be doing. I don’t know what I have to offer, you’re not alone. Many of us find ourselves in seasons where our purpose feels unclear, our gifts feel insignificant, and our direction feels elusive.

Let’s get unstuck… together.

The Authority You Already Carry: A Look at Moses

Let’s do some digging. If you are stuck, there is a good chance you have lost focus of your core theme - that thing that makes you uniquely you.

To help us uncover our core theme—our life’s message, our assignment, the unique sound we bring to the world—let’s look at Moses in Exodus 3-4. If anyone ever wrestled with purpose, direction, and authority, it was him.

At the burning bush, God calls Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt, and Moses does what many of us do when faced with a big assignment: he disqualifies himself.

“Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Exodus 3:11)

Sound familiar? Who am I to write, speak, lead, build? Who am I to step into something bigger than myself? But God doesn’t entertain Moses’ insecurities. Instead, He points to what is already in Moses’ hand:

Then the Lord said to him, ‘What is that in your hand?’ ‘A staff,’ he replied. (Exodus 4:2)

A staff. A simple shepherd’s tool. Nothing impressive. But when surrendered to God, it would become the instrument through which seas parted, miracles happened, and a nation was delivered.

So, let’s ask the same question: What is in your hand?

How to Identify Your Core Theme

If you feel like your life’s purpose is a blank canvas, let’s uncover the colors God has already given you. Here are some questions to help you find your core theme—the message you are meant to carry.

1. What do you keep coming back to?

Throughout your life, what ideas, topics, or struggles do you keep revisiting? Often, your life theme is already embedded in what repeatedly draws your heart. Moses’ story was always intertwined with Israel’s oppression—he just didn’t realize his personal connection was a calling.

Ask yourself: What books do I gravitate toward? What topics do I discuss passionately? What do I journal or think about often?

2. What have you lived through?

You carry authority where you carry testimony. The places where you have struggled, wrestled, and walked with God are often the very places He will use you to minister to others.

Ask yourself: What deep challenges have shaped me? What have I endured that now gives me wisdom and empathy?

3. What do people come to you for?

Moses didn’t volunteer for leadership—Israel needed him. Sometimes, others recognize our gifts before we do. Pay attention to what people seek you out for.

Ask yourself: What do people thank me for? What kind of advice or help do people consistently ask of me?

4. What makes you righteously angry or deeply passionate?

Moses’ calling was ignited by his anger over Israel’s oppression. Sometimes, your calling is hidden in what frustrates you the most—what burdens you to the point that you can’t ignore it.

Ask yourself: What problems in the world stir something in me? What issues do I feel an urgent need to address?

Your Brush, Your Story

Moses thought he was standing before a blank canvas, but God showed him the brush was already in his hand. His past as a Hebrew in Pharaoh’s house, his time as a shepherd, his burden for justice—all of it was preparation.

The same is true for you.

Your core theme isn’t something you have to create from scratch. It’s something you uncover, something that has been forming in the background of your life all along.

So, don’t be afraid of the blank canvas. Step back, look at the colors God has already placed in your hand, and start painting.

What’s in your hand? What’s the story God has already been writing in you? The world needs what only you can bring.