Apparently beauty is found in the mess of life according to the artist who helped me with my creation. After mucking about with paint last night I learned a few things.
- Apparently perfection is not the goal.
- Uneven qualities bring beauty
- Being good at something isn’t what brings joy. The joy is found in the journey.
Upon looking at this work of “art” we can all probably agree that I’m not necessarily skilled in the area of visual production however is that the point of art when you think about creation? Do we sign up for art classes because we are good at art or because we want to get better? Maybe it’s not about better and it’s really about the process. Life is all about process after all as when we are finished, there’s no more living to be done.
We are creations of God who were thought of, imagined and birthed. Upon our arrival at this destination we were set free to tend to the task of becoming and that I think this is where things get a little tricky. We often get upset with ourselves if we make mistakes. We linger too long in certain seasons mucking about in mud of our own making rather than moving through, cleaning up and going forward.
I got stuck in the muck a lot last night but with some tending and gentle care from a few beautiful souls I left with something that looks not terrible. As I drove home I really got to thinking about how much of life really is an act of creation and requires a choice on our part to surrender to the journey. We cannot control the outcome each time. We will make mistakes. Nevertheless if we persevere and move forward something will come out of it that is surprising and worth celebrating.
As people we are all made and fashioned by God. We are set free to build a life and sometimes it’s those messy places that point us to where we might rather be. In the mess of life we uncover beauty. In the mess of life we might find ourselves contemplating a new way, a better way for us. Maybe if we surrendered to the journey a little more and relaxed into ourselves we might uncover more of what and who we are to be.
Perhaps it’s the messy moments in life that might better point us to what that purpose is than the tidy ones. In the mess, we often find beauty. In the unsteady horizon, there is sense of calm and comfort. When we relax into ourselves we might learn more about who we are and who we were created to be.
