day 4::faith, gratitude and learning to see

what is art but a way of seeing? ~thomas berger

now i know it might seem strange to talk about faith and gratitude in a series about art and life.  but if art is a ‘way of seeing’ then it is only because of my faith and gratitude that i have learned to see my life differently.

it wasn’t until a few years ago that i really began to understand gratitude.  not that i haven’t always been thankful – i have.  but gratitude is a deeper connection.  gratitude is seeing God’s grace in our life.  gratitude is experiencing God’s free and loving gift of Himself.  and it changes everything.

gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. …gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow. ~melody beattie

it is through gratitude that i have a deeper appreciation for beauty and goodness, seeing it as a gift from God.  but gratitude is also learning to see beauty and good in things that, at first glance, don’t seem all that good or pretty…finding grace in the struggles and suffering of this life.

this practice of gratitude, learning to see God’s grace at work in my life, has had a profound affect on my faith.  or is it that my faith has helped me to see and experience and God’s grace?  to me it’s kind of like the chicken and the egg….faith and gratitude are inextricably linked.  through faith, as i come to know and love God more and more, and therefore come to see his goodness, his glory in everything…the more i have come to see and experience God’s love for me.  and that in turn makes me love God that much more and want to know him better.

the essence of all beautiful art, all great art, is gratitude. ~friedrich nietzsche

if art is way a seeing, then my art is how i see my life through the eyes of faith and the lens of gratitude.   and more than anything, this is what has brought me the greatest joy.

thank you so much for joining me on my 31 day writing challenge. to see all of the posts in this series, please click here. and if you would like to receive future posts via email, you can subscribe here.