art

I just finished marking 77 pieces of wood to be cut into 4-foot pickets for our new “picket fence” in our backyard. I’m super excited about being able to work on this project and to one day open our back door, send the dogs out, and never touch a leash or worry about them exploring a little too far. We’ve got several hard days of work before we can enjoy this vision but hopefully sooner than later.

I blogged a couple of days ago about intentionally doing things that help us “come alive.” You know, the actives that you find yourself day dreaming about, imaging all the different angles for, replaying over in your mind like a song that’s skipping in the background. Well, this is one of those activities for me, I love to work with my hands, to see a project come to life, to build and create.

Why do some activities, events, or project cause us to come alive, to wake up and look forward to what’s ahead, while other activities just make us what to pull the covers over our head and pray that we’re just mistaking a Saturday for a Monday?

Why? I wonder if it’s because we were created to Create; to be co-creators with God. No I’m not saying we are to create plants and planets and stars, but I wonder if God has uniquely crafted each of us in such a way to find joy or fulfillment from expressing the unique, odd thing we were created to share with this world.

I have heard some say it as “finding our art”. To find what beautiful thing, or art, we have to offer this world.

I have friends who create and bless this world with what I’d consider traditional “art”, amazing paintings, pottery, poetry, music, dance and other forms. But I have other friends who create art with their stories, their laugh, their abilities and skills.

One friend creates beautiful art though his ability to understand and fix things. The art of a fixed heater warming the house of a single mom who struggles daily to take care of 3 kids.

Or another friend whose art is found in how he graciously helps those around him. Today I was unloading my lumber for our fence, which is what I’d now consider one of the worst parts of the project, and my friend had just got off work, he was tired, he wanted to fix himself some dinner and relax, but he saw me, and he created beautiful art but loving someone else, he helped me carry my wood in, then went on his way. The image was truly beautiful.

Others art is found in a letter, an email, a phone call, a scrapbook, an engine that runs again.

When we express our art, our soul sings, our heart beats faster, we come alive.

So, what is your art? What unique expression of beauty do you have to offer this world?

Do you know the world needs your art? Really we do. I hope we can all find what our art is, cause if we did the world would be a beautiful place.

Happy art hunting.

ps - just image, one day this yard will have a beautiful fence.... I can't wait!