BOLO: Artistry

"You are my friend, you're special to me. There's only one in this wonderful world. You are special" -Fred Rogers

Sometimes I wish we put more stock into children's songs. This morning I took a walk with my baby boy
through the cemetery to a park near my house. I've mentioned before, I love this walk. I was especially excited this morning because spring is getting more present each day and it brings such relief to my winter-weary heart. I took my camera with me hoping to catch a few peeks at spring as she timidly sticks her head out of the ground.

I must admit I was a bit disappointed. As I let my eye sweep the landscape I still saw plenty of bare branches, and washed out flora. As humans, our eyes are draw to those things which stand out. We enjoy bright colors against a faded background or a unique, even dissonent, melodic line in a symphony. Even watching the many decorating or home improvement shows available, you can almost be sure to expect one of the hosts to use the word "pop" at least once in the show. We like things that pop.

So as I look at row upon row of gray-green sagebrush I realize that the reason I find it so ugly is that I cannot see anything unique. I felt irrational pity for the little buds on the sagebrush and how utterly mundane they must feel. But just then, God surprised me then with a miniature little eden hidden between some trees. I was humbled by my snap judgment that everything was still dormant and gray.

I realized that when you only look at the whole, you miss these little things. We exaggerate the importance of seeing the "Big Picture," I think. I think sometimes all we see is the big picture and not the incredible elements that comprise that picture. That is the basis of true artistry, being able to see beauty where others see only a monotonous backgrounnd, and being able to draw that beauty out. Can you predict where I'm going with this?


Maybe it has to do with my post yesterday from Middlemarch but, even as we humans love those things that "pop," we rarely feel that we are the ones "popping." We feel gray and drab, lost amidst a sea of other gray drab things. But God (I love that phrase!), the greatest Artist, sees the unique character in each of us. He can draw and highlight the beauty in each just by changing a lens, adjusting the light, or changing the composition just a bit. And I think that's extraordinary.

"So remember, God made you special and He loves you very much!" -Bob the tomato and Larry the cucumber