I have been called many things in my life, but “artist” and “painter” are not on that list.

My artistic ability caps out roughly at stick figures, and my young children have already passed me in their talent.

God has just not gifted me in that way, but that’s OK.

Even though I don’t have artistic talent myself, I do really love and appreciate art. I even started off college working on a minor in art history. It really amazes me how someone can take an idea/image/vision in their mind and be able to convey it onto canvas in such a way that it invokes wonder and emotion.

When the painting, the creation, is mesmerizing, I marvel at the one with the ability to create it.

I have such great respect for the talent of artists, maybe even more so than normal, because I lack almost any in comparison.

Isn’t this similar in a way to how we revere God through His creation? I can walk around in nature and observe breathtaking sunsets, magnificent mountain ranges, and gentle, meandering brooks, and I marvel at the one who has created them.

The picture of creation that God has painted for us leaves us amazed at the one who has the ability to create it.

While this is true, we don’t always view God’s work from a scenic overlook. Our lives are messy in a way similar to an impressionist art style. God is constantly at work in our lives. We can see the brush strokes of His presence, yet we often have no idea what the end picture will look like.

God knows the purpose He has called us to and the exact situations, trials and victories He will walk us through in service to Him but we stand too close to see it all in full.

Impressionism is my favorite art style because each individual stroke of the brush, as abstract as it is by itself, is part of the beautiful end product. The artist had a vision so clear that they knew each brush stroke that was needed to make it come to fruition. It is beautiful not because it is clear to see up close but precisely because you need to stand back to take it all in.

In the midst of the chaos of your daily life, when everything seems to be swirling around you in a manner that lacks rhyme or reason, remember to step back and observe the paintings that God has completed in your life.

Reflect upon all of the times the brush strokes converged together and you could clearly see how God was leading you to that moment. In hindsight, we can see how God placed everything as it was needed to be in the exact timing it needed to happen.

Take time to step back, enjoy the art, and marvel at the Creator of it all!

People’s EC Church is located at 216 Wagner St., Lehighton.