Let us Consider

This morning I gently felt the Lord reminding me to pause and take notice of the people that are in my life. It was as if his hand was on my shoulder and, with his other hand, He was signaling to all that is before me. In my mind, I "saw" the people that I come across regularly. My family and my coworkers, also a few friends. And this is what I perceived:

Take time to notice the people around you, for they are My artistry.
Small moments that are intentionally good grow to become a life of love.
It only takes a small moment to be present and acknowledge the importance of a person.
My careful handiwork is in the details, notice them.

How often am I driven by my ever-growing to-do list? How little time in the day I have to notice God's handiwork?

If you are an artist, you are probably drawn to examine and observe things that inspire you which leads to your artistic response. Art has the potential to help the viewer slow down. Isn't this what we hope for?
We hope that the viewer would take the time to see through our lens, even if they draw their own conclusions. We offer beautiful vignettes of lines, shapes, colors, compositions, and splashes of grace. It's important to us that our audience engages with what we create. This may not be the driving force, for our work is a calling and an act of worship, but we hope that they will take repose and think about what they are seeing.

It's funny to think about how long we deliberate over the choices we make on canvas, with clay, or our medium of choice. It is encouraging to find out that our craftsmanship is honored, acknowledged, and in-demand - especially if art-making is also your career. In reality, though, the viewer has the opportunity to scroll or stroll past or stay a while and ponder. Our challenge is to draw them in and, for a small moment, share our viewpoint.

We aim for excellence, we aim to communicate, we aim to create with passion, and we also aim for someone to notice what we have made. We can relate to God in this way. His artistry and handiwork are so evident in our lives and in the lives of the people around us. Let us "consider how the lilies grow." Let us consider His care and let us really "see" someone intently for a small moment. His handiwork is all around us.

Consider how the lilies grow: They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. Luke 12:27