Mark Sorensen Last week I took my first trip to Chicago. Loved the city. Loved the pizza. Loved the experience.
My wife and I fit in a lot of touristy things in the two and a half days I was in the windy city. It was a surprise last minute decision to visit the Art Institute of Chicago, however, that really caught me off guard. Not quite sure what my wife and I were thinking as we had a couple hours to kill and thought we could see everything in the two hours we had available on that afternoon. You could have easily spent an entire day walking through that place seeing all the art and exhibits on display. So much to see.
As this was my first official trip to an art museum, I quickly learned that there’s a real method to looking at and observing the art pieces that are on display. I don’t want to brag but I think I caught on quite quickly to the method of admiring art. Planning on visiting an art museum in the future? Maybe this will help. Here’s what I gathered in my observation of others:
- Stand in front of said art piece and stare at work of art for somewhere between the time frame of three to five minutes.
- Place hand on chin, slowly tilting head to side as you continue to stare at said art piece for an additional three to five minutes.
- Make some sort of noise showing you are either, A) getting what the artist was going for, B) having your mind blown by a deeper sentiment being expressed that the person next to you clearly doesn’t get yet, C) expressing your confusion by what is in front of you, or D) simply “guffaw” which encompasses a nice culmination of the previous three expressions.
- Slowly look at the person standing next to you and respond with one of three following expressions: “Woah.”, “Right?” or my personal favorite, “I did NOT see that coming!“
Not going to lie. I loved my first art museum experience.
I think one of my favorite moments, however, came in the form of a teenager I ran cross who was sitting on a bench directly in front of the famous painting, “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte” by Georges Seurat.
The room was dimly lit and what struck me was not her admiration of this famous painting or any of the paintings that were surrounding her, it was simply that she was sitting on the bench playing the game, Angry Birds on her cell phone. Seriously. Surrounded by incredible pieces of art and she was settling for Angry Birds in the midst of a Seurat.
Ironic, right? And here’s the even crazier part of the story: God nudged me and said, “You know, you do the same thing sometimes, right?”
Can I confess something to you? It’s so true. I run from project to project, place to place, and rarely stop to just see what God is painting around me.
What if we’re so glued to our technology, television programs, and busyness that we’re missing a greater portrait that God is painting in our midst? What if we’re choosing to settle for the mundane when God has created us to experience the extraordinary?
I love what the Psalmist says in Psalms 19:1-4. Take a look:
How clearly the sky reveals God’s glory! How plainly it shows what he has done! Each day announces it to the following day; each night repeats it to the next. No speech or words are used, no sound is heard; yet their message goes out to all the world and is heard to the ends of the earth.
The truth? There’s a pretty great picture of God’s glory being painted before our very eyes every single day.
Right now.
This very moment.
God’s painting something beautiful.
Do we really want to miss it?
May we, as the children of God, open our eyes to the greater pictures of His glory being painted all around us and may we add our own brushstrokes to His portrait as we work to bring His Kingdom to this earth.
