And Then I Looked out the Window

Greeting cards created from my “Cardinal in Winter” pastel are available for purchase at Preston Arts Center, Louisville, Ky.

One cold Monday morning, I felt sluggish and discouraged. The  world is a mess, and what can any of us do about it, I thought. I probably watched too much television this weekend when I should have worked more on any number of projects I’m behind on. This pattern of negative rumination continued for a few minutes as I wrote in my journal.

And then I looked out the window. The sun made long shadow stripes across the snow as it shone through the tree trunks. Two cardinals flitted from branch to branch. They didn’t seem the least bit worried about the future. The sound of their singing and the flashes of red reminded me there is a world outside of my worry-filled head, and our loving, creative God is still present with us.

As an artist, I sometimes wonder why bother to create art, sing, act, or write when the world seems to be falling apart around us. Yet this morning I was reminded of the balm that beauty can be for our wounded spirits. We need to create and to experience beauty. We encounter this inspirational beauty through nature, art, music, theater, poetry, etc. 

Sometimes this beauty can calm and soothe our hearts, breaking negative thought patterns. Other times it challenges us to act for the common good. But either way, we need it. To be able to appreciate beauty and creativity gives us hope and reminds us what it means to be human and made in the image of the divine Creator. It reminds us that God is with us still. Just stop for a moment and look out the window.