I had a rare privilege yesterday. I had the benefit of being around my house with a camera to capture the early morning view, and then, as we had our canvas group come over for creative expression, I had the privilege of being on my back porch to see this view last night.
The hill in the photo is the town of westover. It's funny because the view never gets old to me. Every time I am around my house at this time of day, and I think to grab my camera, I snap a photo like this. It doesn't matter the season of the year, although each season produces its own set of interesting colors.
Lately it feels like the world is traveling faster than the speed of thought. And then I see images like this that compel me to slow down, to savor the moments, to enjoy the journey.
We are a culture that values the destination over the journey. Last night we had a creative expression time at my house, and a group of us were given paint and a canvas and encouraged to work together to create something unique. After about 15 minutes of splashing vivid colors on a canvas, people felt like they were done and wanted to quit. A friend of mine told me that might happen, and so I encouraged everyone to stick with it for a bit longer.
And then something really cool happened. People really started to engage in the process in a deeper way. A couple of people said, "I want to try to do something like this at home in the future."
It takes time, effort, and concentration to engage in the process. It takes all of this and more to slow down from a blurring pace of life. And yet, when we make some small gesture toward slowing down, we experience change deep within our souls.
Our souls were made for moments like this sunset. Our souls were made for the moments beyond 15 minutes of splashing paint on a canvas. We were made to be fully engaged in our world. It's rare that we are able to do that. And when we meet people who have learned how to do that with regularity, our lives are impacted.
As this week comes to an end, may you experience that kind of nourishment for your soul. Get out and go for a walk through your neighborhood, or through some woods. Enjoy a sunrise or a sunset. Paint, write, draw. Slow down a little bit and savor the freshness that the Creator has placed all around you. Pennies and sunsets, and all.
The hill in the photo is the town of westover. It's funny because the view never gets old to me. Every time I am around my house at this time of day, and I think to grab my camera, I snap a photo like this. It doesn't matter the season of the year, although each season produces its own set of interesting colors.
Lately it feels like the world is traveling faster than the speed of thought. And then I see images like this that compel me to slow down, to savor the moments, to enjoy the journey.
We are a culture that values the destination over the journey. Last night we had a creative expression time at my house, and a group of us were given paint and a canvas and encouraged to work together to create something unique. After about 15 minutes of splashing vivid colors on a canvas, people felt like they were done and wanted to quit. A friend of mine told me that might happen, and so I encouraged everyone to stick with it for a bit longer.
And then something really cool happened. People really started to engage in the process in a deeper way. A couple of people said, "I want to try to do something like this at home in the future."
It takes time, effort, and concentration to engage in the process. It takes all of this and more to slow down from a blurring pace of life. And yet, when we make some small gesture toward slowing down, we experience change deep within our souls.
Our souls were made for moments like this sunset. Our souls were made for the moments beyond 15 minutes of splashing paint on a canvas. We were made to be fully engaged in our world. It's rare that we are able to do that. And when we meet people who have learned how to do that with regularity, our lives are impacted.
As this week comes to an end, may you experience that kind of nourishment for your soul. Get out and go for a walk through your neighborhood, or through some woods. Enjoy a sunrise or a sunset. Paint, write, draw. Slow down a little bit and savor the freshness that the Creator has placed all around you. Pennies and sunsets, and all.
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