We are woman, we are daughters, we are wives, we are mothers. We are artists. We have a deep yearning to create things of beauty and significance. Things that will last beyond our own short time here. For many of us, our main artistic sphere is our home. Our canvas is our table, our house, our wardrobe, our relationships.
Art is a heart thing. Art is something that flows from the deepest part of who we are.
God is an artist. We can't look at the color, variety and beauty of this world and not see that. God's greatest work of art was people. He breathed His own breath, Himself, into the first man. Ephesians 2:10 says we are His workmanship-His poem (greek word is poema)-created in Christ Jesus...Believers...God's poem. A poem more beautiful than anything Robert Frost or Lord Byron could pen.
And we are created unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in. (Ephesians 2:10b) Those good works are our work of art.
Even the day to day works of home making. Home making is so much more than what we learned in our required home economics class. Home making is the art and heart behind the tasks. It is the game changer.
When home making is your art form, you can enjoy the sound of your children's belly laughter, and your wind chimes tinkling in the breeze, and your tea kettle whistling, and your husband's diesel truck pulling up to the curb after a long day.
When home making is the art you do with willing hands, you can revel in the smell of your freshly cleaned house. The earthy smell of your garden. The yeasty smell of the bread rising and baking in your kitchen.
When home making is the art you put your whole heart into, you can be delighted in the sight of a table set with a cloth from friends around the world. The sight of the matching dishes, silverware and stemware are things of beauty and refinement.
When home making is your art form, you can feel satisfaction in the gorgeous color combinations of corn and black bean salad. You can feel wonderfully invested in the layers of wicked trifle you have assembled in your dish for dessert. You know you have created things of beauty and skill.
When home making is what you have a steadfast belief in, you know that the seeming futility of tasks is not futile. It is an offering of art for the glory of God. And, in that, it has eternal worth.
When home making is done with purpose and a whole heart, when it is something you steadfastly believe in-it is a thing of art. From the specially picked paint colors on the walls, to the muddy hand prints on the walls-it is a work of art. From the times of fellowship with friends and family to the intimate moments one on one-it is a work of art. From the artistically arranged flowers to the lego creations-it is a work of art. From photography to folding laundry-it is a work of art. From scrubbing sinks to scrubbing kids-it is work of art. From doctoring scraped knees to weeding a vegetable garden-it is a work of art. From sewing on buttons to sewing a new dress-it is a work of art. From ironing to scrapbooking-it is a work of art. From the meticulous organizational systems to the chaos of bedtime-it is a work of art. From painting a picture to making your bed-it is a work of art. From the times of teaching and schooling to the moments of writing and reading-it is your work of art.
When home making is your work of art, you will feel contentment and pride. You will have a sense of accomplishment and investment. You will know that you didn't just tick things off on your to-do list, you put a chunk of yourself into your efforts.
Every day won't always be sweetness and light. Somedays you will be buried in the drudgery, and forget the work of art part. A lot of days there will be frustration-when you feel like you didn't express yourself right. When you feel you failed. When you feel you messed up beyond repair. When you lose sight of the big picture. When all you see is the lump of clay or the big black blotch.
Yes, those are the days to remember this isn't only your piece of artwork, it is God's. His Plan, His art. He is truly the one making it all beautiful. He is the one giving it eternal impact. He is the Master Artist.
How do you make art in your home?
