Art

Art is not what you see, but what you help others to see.” - Edgar Degas.

A splash of green, a burst of yellow, a hint of brown. The painter is making the emptiness come to life. 
The melodious sound of a viola, the rich tones of an oboe, the brass joins the party. Musicians are creating emotions.
A squeeze of bleach, a squirt of windex, a swipe of a sponge. The Janitor turns a mess into beauty.
Voices of happy children, math lesson taught with victory, the red ink corrects. A teacher awakens the mind. 

We all play a part in creating something from what we’ve been given. It is our choice to make it beautiful. God, the artist, has created us to “bring out the God-colors in the world” (Matt. 5:14). As humans, no matter what we do in life, we carry the image of God. 

I saw an elderly man on his walk this morning, he struggled to get his foot up to the curb trying to bring it closer so he could bend down and tie his shoe. A runner on her morning jaunt paused and asked if she could lend a hand. She was bearing the image of God. 
A woman with hands more than full makes her way to the parking lot fiddling to find her keys. Her daughter is ready for a nap and not being compliant. One of the bags gives out and produce, cans and napkins fall to the unforgiving asphalt. A teenager clearly in a hurry, pauses and rushes over to help pick up the mess. He was bearing the image of God. 

Moments. That is all it takes, is a moment, to express the creative design of God. The challenge is that we are broken. We are cracked. But that’s what God uses best. He uses weak. He uses broken-hearted. He uses us. With Him, we can create art. We can create a masterpiece. We can help others see His beauty, His love.