Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m a firm believer that friends can give one another Valentines as well as significant others to each other, so here’s a Valentine for you.<\/p>\n

I was recently reminded that artists of all disciplines deserve a great appreciation in the world. Without artists, this world would be so much less beautiful. Creative writers are no exception. Poetry is the beautiful arrangement of words, and a book is a beautiful arrangement of life.<\/p>\n

I once read a quote by the artist James McNeill Whistler, which was written above a set of painted violins: “As music is the poetry of sound, so painting is the poetry of sight.” I couldn’t help but be struck by it. It was so fitting. “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11.<\/p>\n

If you are an artist, I hope you know how significant and vital your work is to our lives. Often looked down on in different ways, or distorted ourselves by the drive for fame or money, the ability to create with a free and joyful heart is what will set free our most beautiful creations to touch others’ lives. We know that the arts are significant because God Himself counts them as significant:<\/p>\n

Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, and He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills — to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts.” Exodus 32: 30-33. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

God commissioned the work to build the tabernacle through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, equipping Bezalel as well as others with the gifts of aesthetics of all kinds. The application is said no better than by a man named Luther Alexander from his blog, Daily Encouragement:<\/p>\n

Without writers, poets, musicians, painters, sculptors, dancers, and designers , our world would be much less beautiful.May our Father forgive us for minimizing the artistic gifts of our brothers, sisters, and neighbors; and may He help us to celebrate the work of all whose labors make visible the invisible; audible the inaudible; tangible the intangible.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

For artists and non-artists alike, may you have a Valentine’s Day graced with the beauty you and others have been given eyes to see and ears to hear. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy Valentine’s Day! I’m a firm believer that friends can give one another Valentines as well as significant others to each other, so here’s a Valentine for you. I was recently reminded that artists of all disciplines deserve a great appreciation in the world. Without artists, this world would be so much less beautiful. Creative […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1268,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[44,52,54,100,135,144,159,198,208,213],"class_list":["post-1364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-on-writing","tag-art","tag-beauty","tag-bible","tag-featured","tag-life","tag-music","tag-poetry","tag-valentines-day","tag-writer","tag-writing","has-post-title","has-post-date","has-post-category","has-post-tag","has-post-comment","has-post-author",""],"yoast_head":"\n