This has been a difficult week for me (in my own tiny, selfish
way). When I see evil in the world, when I see people disobeying the Lord I
often internalize it. I know that’s horribly unhealthy. I know the Lord isn’t
surprised by it or caught off guard by evil; that He has a plan that is far
larger than I can possibly comprehend; that in His sovereignty He rules the
universe, plotting the weeks and days and hours to bring about the fulfillment
of His will. Yet, all the same, sin weighs heavy on me. This week, like many of
us, I was led to ponder the depths of sin; in others; in myself; in the world.
The problem does not lie in someone else, it lies in all of us, in our desire
to get what we want regardless of who it hurts or whether it disrespects the Creator
of the universe. That sense of the universality of sin led me to a sense of
hopelessness that there are none who seek the Lord, no not one. I’ve struggled
with grasping joy when surrounded by the pervasive gloom to which I so easily
fall prey, a gloom perpetuated in word, thought, and deed.
On Friday night I had the opportunity to attend the senior
piano recital of a dear friend at Wayne State University. As the performance began
and I was surrounded by a concert hall of current and former friends, I was
almost immediately struck by the beauty of the moment. I was amazed at the
beauty flowing forth from that piano; from those hands. As I sat I could see
what human hands were made to do, to create beauty not to destroy life or
misuse the gifts that have been given. This is the reason we exist, to praise
and bring glory to the Creator through, word, through life, through art. Through
art (among other things) we highlight the beauty of the created world and of
the beautiful potential of the human race, created in God’s image. All praise
and honor to the Creator and sustainer of the world who works unseen even in
the darkest night or in the ruins of our disobedience.
No comments:
Post a Comment