I don’t always have the time to write out my thoughts, well, let me rephrase that. I don’t always make the time to write out my thoughts. Today, I am taking action to attempt to write what I have been processing for the past hour. Have you ever people-watched? I actually don’t make a habit of it. My introverted self feels like I am invading their personal space in some way. I remember being a kid and sitting next to my stepdad on a bench in the mall. We sat there as we watched the people walk by. He watched their actions and behaviors and listened to their words, telling me that he found it absolutely fascinating. I found it weird. But now I catch myself observing people from time to time, not in judgment but out of curiosity.
One of these moments of people-watching happened during a day trip to the Crystal Bridges Museum with my teen girls. We were having a lovely time moving from one art piece to the next. There were times when my girls wanted to stay looking at a piece longer than I did, so I took the opportunity to sit down, as my body isn’t 16 anymore. I know that is a shocker. As I was sitting there, I started watching the people. There were all kinds of people. Some with babies and strollers, some with elderly parents, some that looked like they were on a date, some that were alone. What fascinated me the most was the varying levels of interest each person had in the art pieces. Many just walked through the exhibit, without paying any attention to the art, maybe because they had seen it before, or maybe they just weren’t interested. Others who walked in perused at a slow but steady pace, looking briefly at the art but not pausing to take much in. Maybe it was that there were so many pieces to see, and they had to keep moving to take it all in. There were groups or couples who walked through, noticed the art, stopped at a few pieces, talked about it, and then moved on. Then there were the individuals who stopped at select pieces, taking them in, noticing some details, looking closely, and then backing away for a bigger view before moving on to the next. There were some who walked up to the art pieces slowly, observing, getting closer, stepping back, then stepping in to read the description, maybe taking time to notice the dates, then stepping back again to see the bigger picture, and then moved on. Finally, there were a few, maybe only a couple, actually, that walked to a piece slowly, observing, stepping closer, reading the description, stepping back, stepping closer, as if they were seeing the details, noticing the brush strokes, taking in the color upon color, and moving away to find a seat to just be with the piece.
The last individuals who observed, studied the details, and then sat with it, brought great emotion to my soul. These individuals were taking the time to honor the artist, to express appreciation for the work, to let the artist’s work be absorbed into their minds and hearts, and to allow the artist to lead them to meaning. I myself have been there; I did that very thing while at the museum. There was a stained glass piece so beautiful I had to sit down to enjoy it, to observe it, to let it tell me a story. I allowed the artist to show me their creation, and I accepted it with humility and appreciation. It was a gift to all of us. We didn’t have to do anything to receive the gift. I didn’t have to pay for parking or an entrance fee. I didn’t have to buy a bird plushie to view this piece or take a shower or wash my hands before I arrived. I just had to be willing to notice it, observe it, sit with it, and accept that the artist created it for you and me. Art is meant to be seen.
After being at the museum for several hours, we came home, and I just couldn’t stop thinking about the parallels of all of these people, myself, The Word, and Christ. My heart is heavy as I process this into hard-printed words. I believe the Word was given to us to reveal who our God is; it is a means for us to know Him more deeply and show us how to have a real relationship with Him. But how do we show up with The Word? Do we just breeze past the Bible on our coffee table, bookshelf, or nightstand, not even noticing it is there? Or maybe we have seen it or heard the many stories in it, and we just aren’t interested. Do we peruse the room, notice the Bible, but really don’t have time to pick it up? Or maybe we peruse, pick it up, flip to our favorite texts, but we don’t have the time to go deeper because there is WAY TOO MUCH to read, and it’s overwhelming. Could it be that sometimes we pick up our Bibles with friends or our significant other around, thinking we can have a good discussion, but end up talking about our day or why so-and-so posted a picture of her meal on Facebook again? It’s fun, and we do get our “Jesus Juice” in, but we often get distracted and are not fully present with The Word when we try to follow what others are saying.
Let’s say we show up with our Bibles like the individuals who stopped at the select art pieces. What if we stopped, took our Bibles, studied the scripture, observed and noticed some details, backed away from it, and then put the Bible back on the shelf? We aren’t disrespecting or neglecting The Word, but what if we took it a little further, like those last people that I described above? Let’s see how that pans out. Say we did the same thing? Here is what I think it would look like. As the Bible students that we are, we would observe, study the details, and then sit with The Word. When we do this, we are taking the time to honor scripture and to honor God (the artist) in an amazing way. We can express appreciation for His Word and His work, let His work be absorbed into our minds and hearts, and allow the Holy Spirit to lead us to the meaning, the life of Jesus Christ, and the salvation He has given us as a gift. Allow God to tell you this story over and over again, look at it, study it, observe it, read it again, allow it to change your heart, and accept the gift with humility and appreciation. It is a gift to all of us. We don’t have to do anything to receive this gift. We don’t have to pay our way by merit or otherwise. We don’t have to clean up our past before we accept it. We just have to be willing to believe it and accept that Jesus gifted eternal life to you and me.
So I guess people-watching led me to Christ today. I am brought to the most impactful exhibit in my life, The Word, The Cross, My God, and My Savior. I pray my words bring hope for all of you, that no matter what stage of life you are in, no matter if you are a person who is breezing on through, or noticing the details, Jesus is still calling for all of us to take a look, sit with Him, to know Him deeper, and let Him put the story on our hearts. The gift is ours. The gift is free.
Romans 5:8 — But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (NLT)
Psalm 119:11 — I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. (NLT)
John 17:3 — And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth. (NLT)
Blessings,
Jennifer Colburn
