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Comforting Hands
Art encompasses more than painting, drawing or music. Comforting another involves artfulness in human relationships.
My daughter Sarah is an accomplished artist. She showed her aptitude for art at a very early age. One of my Christmas treasures is a singing angel she made in Sunday School, complete with strands of golden yarn for hair, silver paper cupcake holders for wings, and a drawing of a wide open mouth that fairly shouts: “Glory to God!” In high school she did chalks, pastels, etchings, and ceramics. It was no surprise when she achieved Bachelors and Masters of Fine Art degrees. Her art graces our home.
Several years ago I was talking with a family friend and we were catching up on the activities of my children. I had shared that Sarah was doing very well with her art and that I was very proud of her. As we talked my friend asked a question that caught me off guard: “Are you an artist?” she asked. “Oh no,” I quickly responded, “I love the arts and dabble with block prints at Christmas, poetry from time to time, and, well, I do sing in the RI Civic Chorale. But I'm not really an artist.”
Her question continues to intrigue me. The common definition of "artist" is “One who professes and practices an art in which conception and execution are governed by imagination and taste.” Typically, when speaking of artists, we think of musicians, dramatic activities, painting, drawing, sculpting and a host of other disciplines. The ‘fine arts’ tend to be those productions and creations that have an enduring quality, the stuff of museums or places of honor in our homes. But I'm not really and artist, or am I? or are we?
We are inclined to think of ‘art’ as something produced by a ‘gifted’ professional, especially trained in a particular discipline. That’s true, as far as it goes. But it’s a limited perspective at best. I think of Cathy’s mother’s quilts that grace our home - fine art that has a special place. I think of Marcia’s garden, carefully created and tended, a feast for body and soul - truly a work of art. I think of teachers and pastors and nurses and others, who wouldn’t consider themselves artists, but whose work becomes a thing of beauty in the lives those whom they touch - surely art of enduring value. I could think of so many more, and you could too - people whose creations make the world, our world, a better place.
"Earth" without "art" is just "eh."
Vincent Van Gogh once wrote, “The more I think it over, the more I feel that there is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.” Indeed! There is an artistry in entering into the lives of people in such a way that they feel truly valued and loved. There is an artistry in taking simple things and making them into parables of life - things like seeds and lost coins and wayward children. There is an artistry in the quiet presence, the sympathetic ear, the comforting word and the healing touch. There is an artistry in offering sincere hospitality, in encouraging people, in building people up, in giving a person genuine hope, in mentoring people to attain their fullest potential.
The art of faithfulness is any activity which serves to transform our living into that vision of grace and abundant life which God established at creation. In that sense we are all artists when, in the name of Christ, we are led by God's Spirit to love and care about some part of God's creation. That means that the art of faithfulness is just putting our faith to work in our daily lives. When we do that, it will make all the difference in the world.
The Rev. F. Richard Garland is a retired clergy member of the New England Annual Conference.