Life in Art

God has given us eyes to see Him and ears to behold His truth - He wants to give us perspective that transcends what we can comprehend with our human understanding, and will train us to view life and the world through a Biblical lens. Luke 11 says:
34 The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is bad, your body also is full of darkness.
35 Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness.
36 If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light."

We can be challenged to open our eyes and let God's light in.  There is a huge difference between human understanding and spiritual sensitivity - by His Holy Spirit, He will enable us to see and know His love, to view others with compassion, and to understand and discern His hand and His handiwork.  He wants us to truly see, and that is determined by our willingness to go beyond our human capacity and to encounter His capability.

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God wants to shape our perspective and enable to see our world and our place in it with a fresh set of eyes. 2nd Corinthians 4 says:
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,
18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

A religious leader in England has described him as the "finest evangelist in the U.K. at the moment." He is perhaps better known as a "world-class artist," who has sold art to Whoopi Goldberg and Sting.

CBN News introduced viewers and readers to Charlie Mackesy.  He was asked about when he discovered he had artistic ability. He said, "I think I probably knew that I could draw at school," adding, "But I think you need a reason to draw."

25 years ago, in a London park he found that reason. He was an atheist at the time, and related that he had a feeling "that there must be more to this than meets the eye." He said, "Jesus quietly introduced me to a journey into finding people really beautiful, which is how my art really began," adding, "Because I felt inside me he was going, 'Look. How beautiful is that guy sitting on that bench?' And I would have never noticed him before."

A story that he has told involves hearing the gospel song, "Oh, Happy Day," for the first time, at a music festival, inside a filthy portable toilet.  He said the song pierced through his atheism, moving him to tears.  He said, "In the loo. Bawling...Atheist, atheist, bawling."

According to the CBN News report, some of Mackesy's most notable art includes a bronze sculpture, called "The Return of the Prodigal Son," wherein Mackesy captures the raw emotion of the familiar parable. It's located at Holy Trinity Brompton, one of the most influential churches in the Church of England.

There's also "Prodigal Daughter," made for a friend who struggled with bipolar disorder. Mackesy said, "You know, if you tried to explain in words like, 'Oh, God loves you,' or, 'You're loved,' they don't really carry any meaning at all." He continued, "And I think for me I was just trying to show her through imagery where, you know, to be held is something she always wanted. So I said, 'This is what God is like.'"

There's also, "Known," inspired by his crossing a bridge in London on a bike. He remembered in those brief moments, "...it was this kind of...'You're known, you're loved, this is, God exists and He loves you, He knows you, you're known, you're fully known, you're fully known.'"

Vicar Nicky Gumbel, who had described Mackesy as perhaps the finest evangelist in the U.K. is quoted as saying, "You know, when you have the sort of picture of 'the evangelist,' you don't picture Charlie Mackesy, and I think that's what's so wonderful about him."  He says people outside the church respond to Charlie because he's not what they expect.

Charlie Mackesy sees the world through a different light, with a different eye.  He has experienced the love of God and attempts to communicate it in a unique way.  But, you know, as believers in the Lord, we can also see life in a different way - seeing through spiritual eyes, learning to be sensitive to those around us, being inspired  through the lens of love.

And, there might be a bit of Charlie in all of us - God has provided artistic opportunities that exist around us.  You may not be prone to create art, but we can certainly appreciate certain elements of creation artistically, which can cause us to draw near to God and to praise Him.

Also, with regard to how - and where - God touched Charlie, we're reminded that even in the most objectionable circumstances, God can get through to us.  And, perhaps even in our most uncomfortable times, He will meet us to shape our perspective and to transform us in a meaningful way.