LENT WEEK 6 — Vivid Artistry

Haiku Meditation

Abundance unfolds

From tiny seed to full bloom

All things are made new

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” John 12:24

The amazing thing about a seed is that its fullness of beauty requires it to be broken open and undone. The shell cracks open, its insides come out and everything changes. The transformation looks like complete destruction. Much like Christ’s journey to the cross, it was in the breaking of his body and the pouring out of his blood that the abundance unfolded. His death on the cross looked like the end, but his complete undoing was our new beginning.

A tiny seed helps us to see that all things are possible. No matter how small a beginning may seem, if given the right conditions it can grow into a beautifully blooming garden. This is the hope Jesus came to reveal. That he came to make all things new. No matter where we’ve been or where we may be starting over from, we will still see new life grow from our smallest offerings when we surrender our plans to him.

We have walked through the preparation phase of a garden from winter to spring. We’ve gone from the restoration of the fallow winter to being made ready for a new season of growth. We have pilgrimaged from fallow to fertile, from death to life. This is the Lenten journey. It’s in the undoing, suffering and dying of Christ that we are made new. Through his death to resurrection, we have this living hope that our story is never over. The garden will bear fruit, if properly cared for, securely planted in the Truth of God’s promises.

This has been deep and maybe sometimes uncomfortable journey as we tilled up the dry soil of our hearts and allowed God to sift us and prune us. Take some time to reflect on what you’ve experienced with the creative response and journal questions.

Our journey doesn’t end here. Look in your inbox over the next 3 days! I will be sending a short haiku prayer paired with a visual illustration and a scripture specifically for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter that I think you’ll find to be deeply meanginful.

Guided Journal Prompts:

What has this Lenten journey revealed to you?

What are you hoping and praying for to be made new again in your next season?

Creative Response: Retrace your Lenten journey of the past 6 weeks with what I call a “word map of remembrance.” On a blank page, write down single words that describe anything that has come up for you in this journey from winter to spring. They don’t have to be organized or written in any order. Don’t think of this as a list but more of a map of discovery of how God has been leading you. Through prayer and reflection, see how the words reveal how you’ve been led through this season. Is there one word that especially stands out or keeps coming up?

Other ideas for your word map:

Find your words in magazine pages, cut them out and make a word map collage, use paint or drawing as un underlayer
Write a haiku using your word map
Write a psalm using your word map

Thank you for joining me on this devotional series. I want to thank my dear friend and artist, Natalie Salminen Rude, who has partnered with me through sharing her artwork for this Lenten journey. I am so grateful for the ways it helped lead us through the uncovering of a wintering season and into the new hope of spring’s arrival in our hearts.

Art Work by Natalie Salminen Rude

Haiku by Libby Johnson

May not be used or duplicated without permission