Speaking of Faith

In speaking of faith, is there a strategy that will make your art more potent and memorable?

Your faith is something that weaves through your work like a fiber in a tapestry. Everything your hands touch creatively, expresses your faith.

Yet is there a way to be more effective in speaking of faith? Are there clues that we can find from the Bible, or our world, that will help us as Christian artists?

I stumbled on an effective strategy that God uses to make His lessons potent.

I have often petitioned God to simply speak to me in an audible voice - loud and clear. Surely it would be the best way to settle all confusion and build my faith?

Instead, He taught me a different lesson. God is the master of subtlety.

I discovered that He accomplishes His purpose by suggesting and not stating. He provides hints and leaves us to fill in the blanks. And He seems to delight in paradoxes!

In countless vivid examples throughout the Bible, God offers clues about His nature. Jesus’ statement, “If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well.” Jn 14:7 is a profound example of this concept. Only by searching out a relationship with Jesus, can we understand the Father.

Jesus’ various parables proffer ideas, allowing you to draw your own conclusion. In His clever handling of the adulteress, we are left with a consciousness of our own sin. “ Then neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” Jn 8:11 speaks to our hearts, although none of us are addressed directly.

His game of hide-and-seek is deliberate, because He understands human nature. He demonstrates a vital principle that we can imitate in the making of our art, and in the speaking of our faith.

We only grasp, retain and treasure, what we discover for ourselves.

He delights when we stumble on His majesty, encounter His kindness unexpectedly, or experience His surprising provision. His joy stems from knowing that each experience forms the fabric of our faith.

So in speaking of faith, we must remember to suggest rather than state, as we create our art.

Creating art in a way that describes every detail completely, even if excellently depicted, leaves out the element of mystery. It does not allow the viewer the thrill of connecting the dots, and making discoveries for themselves.

What is worse is, the work may satisfy at first glance, but it will leave no lasting impact. Like the rush of a sugary dessert, it will without exception, quickly leave you hungry.

Quite frankly, if He ever spoke to me in an audible voice, I know that it would terrify me and I would never believe that He was gentle and merciful as well!