February 02, 2020

Sunday Devotional With Mr.E: Healing


Art has a way of helping us process our pain, struggles, and emotional issues. You do not need a vast knowledge of art or consider yourself to be an "artist" to benefit from the therapeutic effects.  

Viewing art as a means of healing is very much like listening to music.  There is something that resonates within you.  It could be that a work brings calm and order to your chaotic world.  You might see a piece that somehow transports you to pleasant memories and happier times.  Others might connect more with work that meets them right where they are.  The art might reflect the chaos and struggles they are experiencing, and somehow.....they feel less alone because of it.  

The act of creating art also provides an opportunity to begin the healing process.  You might use a sketchbook to create a visual journal of what you're feeling and experiencing.  Painting might allow you to express your emotions more effectively through its tactile nature, gestural brush strokes, and emoting color. Sculptural/3-D art might allow you to "work out" the feelings, anxieties, and frustrations that are pent up inside of you.  

It doesn't matter if art is your profession, hobby, or something you've never really done before.  Art has the power to help anyone in the healing process



As long as we're here on this Earth, there will be pain, struggles, and emotional issues.  No one is exempt from these ever present parts of life.  If we try to lie to ourselves and others about them....we are denying a very real part of our human experience. We live in a world where "fine" is the norm response for "How are you?" 

I have to ask though...."Are you really fine?"  

It is ok not to be ok.  So often we see those in the church wearing the mask of "fine".  This answer is the denial of reality, and is the denial of God's ability and desire to meet us where we are.  In Psalm 147:3 (and all over scripture) we see that God desires to heal the brokenhearted & to bind up their wounds.  He is not surprised that you are less than perfect.  He is not surprised that you are struggling.  You do not have to figure it all out or "fix" yourself before you come to God.  He wants you to come AS. YOU. ARE.  Seeking help, finding ways to manage stress, and developing tools for being a more healthy you (mentally, physically, and spiritually) are important.  If we do these things as we seek after God ...we will find ourselves in a healthier place. Real healing is possible.  You will see it in the scars.





1 comment:

  1. Thank you for this encouragement this Sunday morning ❤ I'm an art-on-a-cart teacher for K-8th grade. 3 weeks ago I fell in my livingroom and broke my leg so badly that I had to have surgery. Not at all in my plans! I'll be off work for another 5 weeks. I'm struggling with just sitting, staying off of my feet, and relying on others to take care of me. It's hard physically and mentally. I can't see the healing and I can't feel the healing, but I have to tell myself that I know it's happening. It's just a very slow process. One thing that I am not good at is being still but that's all I can do right now. Yet the Lord keeps reminding me that He calls me to be still and know that He is God and to wait for the healing.

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