"You are beautiful - perfect for your purpose - a vessel for divine glory..."

“I long so much to make beautiful things.

But beautiful things require effort—

and disappointment and perseverance.”

~ Vincent van Gogh

Image credit

 
I go through this in my art making! I'm glad van Gogh shared his creative thoughts...

Lately I've been thinking about the beauty that God has woven into creation...and the other evening, at a meeting with other moms, the conversation turned to the beauty of this earth, and this is the fallen world, the one groaning for redemption as we all hurtle through time together...

...so much beauty...

...and then the Lord reminds me of the list of "beauty" scriptures I have been thinking about 

and making graphics with...

...and He reminds me that van Gogh's quote is about our work to develop skill, 

the repetition, 

the beginning,

the middle,

the beginning again...

learning to silence the inner critic...

crying out to Him in agony

wondering if we really heard Him 

in pursuing creative endeavors...

the reassurance,

the beginning again and again...

until the habits 

of creativity are formed...

and we see the primitive beginnings 

as an avenue to get to our present skill..

...and God said...

that even though He always blesses

our practice...

He didn't have to practice

when He created 

each one of His daughters...

He created each of us perfectly -

no "do-overs"...

...we are beautiful...

...and what we might consider a "mar"...

...is only because we aren't looking only to Him...

"You ARE beautiful,

perfect for your purpose -

a vessel for divine glory..."

He says...

{...and what can my response be, except to worship in awe...}