Creatives: Making the Invisible, Visible
Someone asked during a recent Coronavirus Town Hall on CNN, “Where is God in all of this?” Pastor Rick Warren’s answer: “God in the person who is lending a hand, offering comfort.” God is not distant, God is not silent. He is is in the actions, love, and words of the righteous.
Artists, makers, and creatives of all kinds— I encourage you to take this truth and run with it. When you create, you hold potential to make a God that feels invisible, visible. There may be an underlying tone, a deep soul vibration that there is a God out there. But your creations can make that feeling at the soul-level rise to the eye level and the ear level.
your creations can make that feeling at the soul-level rise to the eye level and the ear level.
During the season of the COVID crisis, visual artists have partnered with the PEACE Center by creating beautiful handmade cards, each card with an individual design. You can see the hand of the creator in the nuances of texture, the choices of color, and the hand lettering of the encouraging words.
When the PEACE Center associates are giving out practical resources of food and supplies, I am told they like to put the card on the very top of the materials given. One woman was excited to get an image of a bird on her card saying that it reminded her of God’s truth that we are far more important that the birds and God will take care of her even more than the birds. She immediately put the card on her dash board. Although her mouth was covered by a mask, you could see the smile beaming through in her eyes. In this moment God was felt and seen. His promises came to the surface. The stress of the day was transformed into a smile. A simple drawing made the invisible visible.
This powerful reality for artists is spelled out in the written purpose of Saddleback Visual Arts: To reflect God’s creative soul in his Church Body. A community of makers has the immense potential to help Jesus’ bride be seen as the beautiful entity she is. People look to the church to find God and artists can help to bring the character of God into plain sight. The arts wake people up to realities that may have always been present, but not yet fully realized.
In this moment God was felt and seen. His promises came to the surface. The stress of the day was transformed into a smile. A simple drawing made the invisible visible.
Jesus tells believers in Matthew to “Let your light Shine so that people may give glory to God” (Matt 5:16). There are many ways to let our light shine. If you have a gift in making things, this is how you can let your light shine. Light attracts people’s attention, it reveals what may not have been seen.
Let us allow our acts of creation be light in the shadows during this crisis. When people wonder where God is, may they find answers in the the very real object, music, or action they experienced from you.
Learn more about the COVID Card project here.
