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| Knitted Shawl that I made this winter. |
This week, my little family and I went to see a wonderfully enchanting play called Miniscule by Dominique Leroux ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJllDSSYla4 ). It's about a miniature little girl sometimes made of yarn, sometimes made of paper, and it was enthralling. Multidisciplinary and full of unique touches, the children loved it and intuitively understood what the artist was trying to say. I thought it was lovely and only now, a while later, am I able to register why it touched me so much.
While the puppeteer/actress was describing the adventure she went on with her miniature friend, she described the fear and apprehension they felt. With courage they went beyond what they knew and followed the road map found in their yarn creations. When she projected the knitted piece of white yarn on the screen and I saw the detail within it more clearly, I had to catch my breath.
My eyes filled with tears.I don't know what's going on with me lately, but my artistic side has taken over and seems to be guiding me along quite strongly. Not coincidentally, I've also started praying every morning and studying the Bible more seriously. The more I pray, the more I read scripture, the more I feel I need to create things with my hands.
I feel tears welling up before a beautiful ball of yarn, gratitude that I can paint and draw and collage; I feel open and alive when I enter an art supply store; when I see stationary, I could sing (but you don't want me to, no talent there!!).
These things call to me.
They draw me close.
They bring me closer to myself and I feel my soul's contentment when I fulfill this part of my soul's journey here on earth. God has put these small things on my heart and I can't help but do them--cut, paint, draw, glue, knit...sometimes separately, sometimes all together!
Could this be what the play was about? We find our way through the small things that we do each day. St. Therese of Lisieux would probably agree, maybe Mother Theresa too. I think she once said that we should do 'small things with Great Love'. This I knew to be true in the many things I do for my children and family--when I wash a baby, mop the floor, make some soup, I am serving God's purpose for me on this earth as long as I do these things with love. When I do these things with love, I can feel that this true in a very real way.
It's funny how that can be true with objects and activities too, provided they aren't hurtful or damaging in some way to our souls or otherwise.
I feel drawn to things quite strongly sometimes. When I listen to my deepest self, I can feel like God has sent me the desire to knit and draw and create.
I suppose if He can speak to us through people (in their kindness, in their wisdom, in their actions), He can speak to us through His creation as well.
Lately, He's been sending me to the art store, the yarn aisle and the recycling bin for bits of colorful paper to cut up and paste. He's sending me winks and nudges when I work with my hands, when I fiddle, paint, paste, and 'smush' around pastels to get a perfect angel face painted.
He's given me talent and when I use it, I know I am doing His work. For now, and maybe forever, it is only in small ways, but even in the scarf I knit for my husband, the Mother's Day cards I made for special women in my life and the crochet creations I hand out here and there, I know I am doing what I am created to do.
So, even though the song you sing may only be for one other person, if you sing it with the knowledge that you are using the gifts God has given you, it is a very fulfilling experience, indeed.
Watching the play about the importance of small things, reminded me that we participate in the world even in these little ways, adding our talents to the world.
How is God inspiring you lately?
