artful markings

Written by Mandy Thompson

She’s just a girl with a guitar. And, in a perfect world, Mandy would spend her days writing songs and soaking up the sun. But, life is life. And, while not perfect, her life is good. She serves as Director of Congregational Services at The Chapel, in Brunswick GA. If you asked her about her position, she’d say her main course involves developing worship experiences, with a side of creative design and social media for dessert. Tasty!

January 9, 2012

We all have mundane moments. You know, the ones that are boring and barely worth noting. Like the drab experience of checking out at the grocery store… Or the hazy everydayness of making the morning coffee… Or the commute home

Then we have moments of grand gesture. Like wearing dark oversized robes and a square hat when receiving a diploma. Or lighting a cake on fire and spitting all over perfectly sanitary icing to blow out the flames. Or standing trembling and white-dressed in front of hundreds of your “closest people” to declare your love for that also-trembling young man beside you in a ceremony of beautiful music and flowers and plants and elaborate celebration.

These moments are significant.

And they are to be observed with significance.

Have you ever noticed the spontaneous songs in the Bible? Some of the stories read like an Improv Everywhere story with dancing and tambourines and a whole crowd. And the celebrations reached beyond songs, including piling rocks in the middle of a river bed to mark their memory.

And the memory was well-marked. It was significant. The crowd’s efforts were thoughtful and expressive.

The time it took to infuse those historic moments with significance sealed them, and sealed them artfully. The moments became beautifully transcendent.

Art has a way of transcending by charming the senses — tickling the mind — wooing the emotions. It stirs. It shakes. It compels. It propels. And oh my gosh, it inspires! And we, as believing Image Bearers, have the distinct privilege to harness the power of the Creator to creatively infuse our moments with significance. And by doing so, we says to God and to others and to ourselves that this time here on earth that we’ve been given is worth living artfully, thoughtfully, significantly.

But how can we make our moments, and our very lives, artful?

However we want. That’s the beauty of marking beautiful moments.

Some amazing things are happening in our lives that deserve a proper celebration. Look at the calendar year, look at these moments, and ask yourself what you want to do to make them memorable. And then, mark them with ceremony and significance.

What are you going to do to celebrate?

8 Comments

  1. Sandra Heska King

    Beautiful! I want to look for and mark His artful moments in every moment. Because His art is everywhere in every moment. There’s beauty in the grocery store and in the hazy everydayness of making coffee. 

    I love my camera.And I love this post!

    Reply
    • Duane Scott

      What Sandra said, I was going to.

      I too love this post! Welcome to Bibledude.net, Mandy. 🙂

      Reply
      • Anonymous

        Thanks Duane! yay!

        Reply
    • Anonymous

      “His art is everywhere” I love that thought, Sandra! I think part of learning to celebrate is learning to recognize what is worthy of a celebration. 🙂 Thanks for commenting!

      Reply
  2. Eileen

    Beautiful post.  I was out for a run this morning and began thinking about this same subject. Every moment is significant.  Each breath.  We can’t get them back…we need to make them count. 

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      “Make them count” Yes this is so true, Eileen! And awareness can go a long way in making the moments count. I sometimes get so focused on the next thing that I forget to really live in the moment. But, I can’t make the moment count if I’m not fully experiencing it. Thanks for commenting and for sparking these thoughts.

      Reply
  3. Diana Trautwein

    Wonderful words – thanks so much. Celebration is (and should be) a huge part of life. Huge. Nice to see you here.

    Reply
    • Anonymous

      Thanks so much Diana. 🙂

      Reply

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artful markings

by Mandy Thompson time to read: 2 min
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