My Christmas newsletter showcased one of my impressionistic paintings, “Flutter of Wings.” The painting wasn’t about the subject, but the expression of how it made one feel. The movement — wispy, light and airy — gave the viewer a subtle glimpse of the illusion of wings.
I wanted to touch the spirit of the audience. Maybe this concept, too abstract, would cause others to wonder what this artist was trying to say or if she was hitting the wine bottle.
In executing this painting, I applied white acrylic paint to the watercolor as part of the design, leading the eye upward from the bottom right and lifting one’s heart into heaven. One might catch the flutter of butterflies’ or angels’ wings through their spirit, not the subject itself. Welcome to an artist’s world, where we live in our heads.
This rendering wasn’t about the tangible, but the fluttering of movement and the emotional pull. The Holy Spirit is always pulling us upward, whether we see the subject clearly or not. It’s like this time of the year. “Jingle Bells” will make us happy, but “Mary Did You Know” will take us upward to the wonders of Christ. God Himself, as a baby lying in the manger among his created beings, came to set us free.
There is a balance between the reason of the season and what makes Christmas memorable — music, decoration, food, family and bright lights. They are all part of having a merry Christmas, but they don’t necessarily move us to worship the One who is worthy and celebrated this time of year.
The Lord talks to us through our spirit. We are spirit beings, and we move in Him. “… He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and love and have our being” — Acts 17:27-28 (NKJV).
We are given the Holy Spirit, who moves freely among us and communicates God’s wishes as He draws us upward. The Lord is speaking. Are we hearing?
Behind the spirit of Christmas, many are trapped in family traditions, expectations and rules, grounding us in noise and a list of things to do. In unreasonable expectations we often miss the wonders seen through a child’s eyes. We are too busy being the mother or the father and getting it done.
One Christmas, the pastor in our church in Arizona asked if we loved Jesus. If we did, would we give all the gifts to Jesus for His birthday? Bring the gifts under our tree to the church. One mother took all her kids’ gifts to the church. I wonder if she asked them or just took them. This would’ve warped her children’s minds and how they perceived Jesus. She would’ve had some explaining to do.
The gifts under our tree were for our children: Unmet expectations would have taken the wonders away through their eyes and would have fostered hurt feelings for years to come. Busyness will also take the real reason away from us as surely as if we had followed through with this pastor’s request.
We must be led by the Spirit of God, not man’s ideas. So, in this holiday season, we might spend too much, eat too much or forget completely about the baby who was born to lay down his life for all of our wrongdoings. But God is still faithful and has open arms to receive us. There is much to ponder during these beautiful holidays.
At times I’ve seen the movement of angel wings. Once in a while I’ve caught a glimpse of an angel or two and attempted to paint what I saw. Those moments are like kisses from heaven where I catch the breath of the Word, communicated by the Holy Spirit.
Final brushstroke: Don’t miss the real reason for Christmas. You might catch the flutter of wings or a child’s smile.
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Views expressed do not necessarily represent those of The SUN.
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