I just finished The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. It is a great story, and I highly recommend it. She has a beautiful way with words, and seems to put the feminine plight in such a delicate way that it transcends the differences you may feel from the characters. This book seemed to hit home for me in a couple of ways. The main charachter is in the empty next stage of life, and she is confronted by her lack of vitality and life. She recaptures her "life" through an affair with a monk (which I don't recommend), but I did enjoy the fruit of that new energy. She is also an artist (something I would like to be when I grow up), and she and her monk have a discussion that really captured some things that I am growing to embrace.
Brother Thomas: "This is just my own opinion, but I think the real jolt [of art] doesn't come because the art is objectionable or because it evokes social critique but because the viewer becomes lost in the sheer beauty of it. It gives a person an experience of the eternal."
I struggle with the connection between creating and The Creator. My thought goes something like this...How can I pretend to have something to offer than can compare with what He has given us? In my life that has led to passivity and fear to create art. The opposite should be true, and should motivate us even more. I can look at myself as a mirror of the creativity of God. My art can expose the world to the beauty that they have yet to experience. Amy Free's photography (see Blue Buckle blog) has greatly inspired me to appreciate the world around me, and has led me to worship Christ AND prod my heart for the sin of neglecting that worship.
With a child, I have little time to paint or draw. Hopefully the time will grow, but I have been trying to pick up the camera more. Here are a couple of shots that I hope will help you to worship The Creator, God, and His Son, Jesus the Christ.
Undisclosed Location on James Island
Along the Virginia Creeper Trail
3 comments:
Beautiful pictures. I'm glad you can see the wonder of God's creation through your art. You have a gift.
Reagan,
That stirring within you to create is the whisper of the Holy Spirit. I look forward to seeing the fruits of your work.
Love, Ann
Reagan I loved the way you described the book - how it inspired you creatively and also how you described your calling as an artist - and the act of worship that it requires and compels you to feel. Beautiful post.
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