LENT WEEK 3 — Vivid Artistry

Haiku Meditation

Cultivate beauty

Uncared for soil grows weeds

Turn over the old

Listen to the audio version here

“And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” 1 Peter 5:10

Cultivate beauty: The definition of cultivate is “to improve or develop by careful attention, training, or study.” Cultivating requires great intention much like a spiritual discipline. What we devote our time to and what we fix our eyes and attention on will what we cultivate in our lives. The eyes of our heart and our imagination, is a God given gift of the ability to dream and envision a reality that is not yet tangible. Even with a garden, we plant a tiny seed only imagining the beauty that will become of it. But it’s because we can imagine it’s potential in our mind’s eye that we take great care and intention to provide what it needs for it’s blooms to become a reality.

Our imagination is a seedbed and what we plant in it will become what we believe to be true. Like caring for the seeds in the garden, it is vital that we take the same care of our imaginations through attention, training and study as the definition of “cultivate” suggests.

Uncared for soil grows weeds: This week’s haiku meditation comes straight from a gardening article on how to prepare soil for the transition from winter to spring. There is a great deal of attention that goes into it. One gardening article literally said the exact words, “Uncared for soil will only become suited for weeds to grow.” How often does the soil in our hearts go uncared for?

A key practice to prevent weeds from taking over our hearts and minds is to position ourselves to see beauty and to allow ourselves to be formed by it. There are many distractions in one day that are designed to hijack our imaginations, however, what we fix our eyes on is what we will become. How much time do we spend scrolling the internet, Netflix, Amazon, news apps…etc? Our time and attention can be so easily squandered and leave us feeling empty, irritated, angry or even numb. We give over our imaginations too often to the thief of distraction which leads to becoming desensitized. Positioning in the path of beauty awakens and revitalizes our senses and allows the sanctifying of our imaginations.

British Theologian Oliver Davies says: “When the imagination takes purchase, the human self who imagines begins to find him or herself at home in the world. For the imagination is primarily about envisaging possibilities of new existence or new meaning which are constructed from and remain true to the realities that we already know. Our imaginations take us to new places and situations previously unconceived, but they do so by the disciplined reordering of the sensations, memories and perceptions of what is already familiar to us.”

This suggests a discipleship of the imagination through the training of our senses. This is where creativity comes in. It can act as a reordering of our senses and a training ground to fix our eyes on the things of God rather than be held captive by distractions. By design, we have all been given the unique ability to be creative as God’s signature upon humanity. We are capable of imagining new possibilities and creating into them. For instance, imagining the warmth and comforting smell of a loaf of bread baking may lead us to go through the creative steps of actually making the bread and bringing that warmth and comfort into reality. Creative work disciples our senses.

Recognizing God’s creativity through nature is also a discipleship of our senses and imaginations. The beauty of nature is a caretaker. The earth sings out the song of the glory of God each day and we can partake in it. Take notice and pay attention to what creation is singing. This week try the experiential creative practice described below.

“The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship.” Psalm 19:1

As we take this season of Lent to renew our daily rhythms, let us give over our imaginations to be formed by more of God’s presence. If we do not create these rhythms for ourselves, the demands of the world will create rhythms for us that will most likely leave us exhausted and confused.
Position yourself to cultivate beauty in your life by:
-slowing down
- turning off distractions
-baptizing your imagination in the natural beauty of your surroundings by going for a walk, visiting a conservatory, sitting in the sun
-exercising your inherent creativity by making something this week

Turn over the old: As preparations continue for a garden emerging from winter, one very key step is to turn over the top soil that has served as a protective layer from the harsh elements.This is where change gets uncomfortable and the Lent season challenges us. The garden cannot hold onto the top layer that has carried it through the winter. Tilling the dry, brittle top soil is required to stir up the rich elements underneath and allow for new things to emerge. Like we meditated on in the first week, the soil is a storehouse for things to grow. It has all the elements needed and stores them up to be made ready for when it’s time for new growth to emerge. There can be no ushering in of the new season without turning over the old. So just like the garden, we must turn over our old ways to God and allow the vulnerable soft soil underneath be exposed and trust that God has made us ready for this season of renewal he is ushering us into.

Embodied Movement Meditation “Turn Over the Old” - Stand or sit comfortably feeling your feet firmly planted on the floor. Open your hands so your palms are facing up.

Flip one palm down to place it on top of the other. Now as you say this prayer of surrender open the top hand like a book and flip it open so both palms are facing up again. Repeat as needed through surrendering prayers of specific things the Holy Spirit brings to your mind.

Prayer: Lord, I surrender my old ways I’ve been holding onto. I offer all I am for you to make me new.

Below are guided journal prompts and suggested creative practices for reordering and discipling your senses to cultivate beauty in your life and allow God to show you what new growth he wants to do within you. These are not meant to do all in one day. Move through them at a pace that feels right for you.

Guided Journal Prompts:

What am I planting and watering in my life? Is it leading to life and producing fruit or leaving me dry and empty?
-Use the art work below titled, “Bearing Fruit” as an image to focus on as you pray for God to show you what is bearing fruit in your life and what may need pruning or turning over to Him.
Am I creating a suitable seedbed for beauty to grow or weeds?
What old ways, habits or patterns of thinking do I need to turn over to God?
What are the main daily influences on my imagination and my senses? Take inventory for a couple of days and write down the things you devote attention to.
What are a couple of tangible ways I can cultivate beauty in the ryhthms of my day?
Creative Practices:

Take a camera or your phone and go on a photo prayer walk. Ask God to attune your senses to see his beauty and take photos of what draws your attention. Afterwards, take time to journal with each photo about the details you saw and how it affected you.
Take the time to make something with your hands this week. It could be baking, wood work, planting something, sewing, painting…etc Don’t think too much about what it is but rather meditate on the process and how it reorders and disciplines your senses to see how God speaks and grows your faith through creative work

Art work by Natalie Salminen Rude used with permission

https://nataliesalminen.com

Haiku by Libby Johnson

May not be used or duplicated without permission