The Light of Faith

We all can get burned out from time to time…

and our once full throated song can become a half-hearted tune that we push through as we become absent minded about the glorious nature of our faith.

How can we cope with these times of the “doldrums” in our walk with God?

How can we encourage the sweet wind of the Holy Spirit to blow through us to re-kindle our inner fire?

Our faith is a precious treasure, a gift that should be nurtured in the best of times, so we might thrive, but also so we might navigate the storms ahead without losing our way.

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you O God. ~ Psalm 42:1

Over the next two months I will be hosting a series of
posts by guest bloggers as a part of the Summer Blog Tour “Faith Unshackled.” This is a great group of writers and I hope you will follow along, check out each author’s personal blog, and find ways to revive, strength and even unshackle your faith!:)

This week, as I was considering the images I might put with our summer blog series on faith, I was attracted once again, to Claude Monet’s series of paintings on the Rouen Cathedral. Monet was the founder of the 19th century French Impressionism movement known for creating a new style of painting and one that was very controversial for his time. Monet became fascinated with capturing on canvas the effects of light on a subject. To do this, he left the sanctuary of his studio and went directly to the outdoors to experience the changing effects natural light would have on a particular scene.

The National Gallery of Art describes this series of paintings as Monet’s desire to capture the “effects of light and weather” and he does this by painting the facade of this church some 30 times over many months as he rented rooms across from the Cathedral in late January of 1892 and stayed until spring.

Monet describes:

To me the motif itself is an insignificant factor,…What I wanted to reproduce is what exists between the motif and me. 

Rouen Cathedral: Facade Morning Effect, 1892-1894 Claude Monet, oil on canvas, Museum Folkway Essen Germany.

So this got me thinking about how many ways we use the word light to represent our faith and how our understanding of it can change over our lifetime.

• Light represents seeing
• It can also symbolize hope
• A knowledge of a great truth…something that defines us and gives us purpose.
• Our understanding of Light, gives us an impression of God.
• Our attention to the light can fill us up until we overflow
• Experiencing the warmth of God’s light tells us we are loved by our creator.

So what do you think of when you talk about God’s light?

Claude Monet (French, 1840 – 1926 ), Rouen Cathedral, West Façade, 1894, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Collection

It is difficult to imagine how less can be more when it comes to matters of our faith. We tend to think in terms of activities and achievements when we are measuring the progress of our lives. But strengthening our faith, learning to walk in the light, knowledge and confidence of God’s love is not limited to the lines on a graph. There are no profit and loss reports and often times what it takes to thrive in our spirituality is to stop-look—-and listen.

So I encourage you to commit to a regular time of devotion to our Lord so that you may see all the different ways God is blessing your life. Here are just a few ideas of things you can do to create or rejuvenate your special time with God:

• Rise early: Easier said than done, but try going to bed earlier so you can set your clock an hour earlier to spend time in prayer and devotion with our Lord. If the tasks of your day keeps rushing in, make a quick note of your to do list, then set it aside. It will be there when you are done and your time in prayer will help you remain in God’s peace as you enter your day.
• Make a special place: whether it is in your home or office, create a special devotional space and fill it with items that will help you look forward to your  quiet time with God. Perhaps you will light a candle or maybe you will have your special mug and favorite blend of coffee, these things can heighten your senses and help you relax allowing you to become more present attending God’s voice.
• Keep a prayer journal: I have always struggled with maintaining regular prayer practice, until I started writing my prayers. Now it is more of a conversation. I allow myself to write in a free form flowing in and out of prayer and regularly making note of where I noticed God in my day. You can also jot down Bible scriptures or favorite quotes. I’m always amazed at how writing something down helps me to hardwire the passage and meditate on a personal meaning for me.
• Amazon Wish List: Start a wish list on amazon of all the books you would like to read. Anytime you hear about a book from a friend on Facebook or Twitter you can automatically add it to your list. Goodreads and Spotify are also wonderful social networks that can help you find recommendations for books and music to keep your devotional time fresh and inspiring.
• Silence: Resolve to ask God questions and follow it by a period of silence…you will be amazed at how God will speak to your heart and open your eyes to new insights, discoveries and people all around you.

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. ~ Isaiah 26:3

“Solitude is the practice of being absent from people and things to attend to God. Silence is the practice of quieting every inner and outer voice to attend to God.” ~ Peter Scazzero, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality p. 161

Claude Monet (French, 1840 – 1926 ), Rouen Cathedral, West Façade, Sunlight, 1894, oil on canvas, Chester Dale Collection

Like Monet, let us attend to the light so that we might notice all the beauty and all the little details of His divine love involved in our lives.

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry we do not lose heart…For God, who said ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. ~ 2 Corinthians 4: 1, 6

Happy Summertime!

And I hope you will be encouraged by all the posts from by guest bloggers on this Summer Blog Tour!!:)