We Are Each A Unique Work Of Art
Each and every person on this planet is completely unique from every other person. When you stop to think about it, isn’t that incredible?
In all the history of the world there have never been two people who have been exactly alike. We’re talking billions of people!
How is that even possible? How can there be that many combinations of physical appearance, character, personality, talents, etc? For me, the only explanation is that our Creator is infinitely more.. well, infinite than we can imagine.
Think about how an artist is driven to keep creating new works of art. Or a musician tries to find original ways of combining the notes to make a new song. As a writer, I sometimes get discouraged or tired and think maybe I’ll stop writing. But the need to express myself with words on paper always rises back up in me. That’s because writing isn’t just a hobby or something I like to do. It’s who I am. I’m a writer.
In the same way, God is a Creator. It’s who He is. And I think He likes to create people. I think He delights in each new person He brings into being and is proud of how He has made us. We might not like the way our nose looks, or how we laugh, or the color of our hair, but He does. He thinks we’re amazing just the way we are because He made us that way.
All works of art are subjective. In other words, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
We did a fun activity on Christmas Day. Our son’s girlfriend has led Paint & Sip classes in the past and prepared one for us to do. Though we were all supposed to be copying the same scene, no two of the paintings came out the same. (Especially our son Matthew’s on the far left!) We sent a photo to friends and family members and asked which they thought won first place. We got a wide variety of answers. Even for me, I would have a hard time choosing a favorite. There are different things I love about each one.
You may not love every piece of art you see. I’m personally not a big fan of cubism or surrealism. I prefer the gentle style of artists like Monet or Cassatt. But, once again, everyone is different! Even if I can’t see anything I like in a work of art, I can respect that others do. And I can appreciate the artist’s efforts to create something he loves and is proud of.
Wouldn’t it be nice if we tried to look at people as the works of art they truly are?
I believe it is every person’s deep desire to be seen and loved for who they are. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we went through life excited to discover the uniqueness of the people we encounter? If we looked closely to see the meticulous brush strokes, the shades of colors, the careful attention to detail that He used to create each individual?
Every person made by the Creator has tremendous value to Him. I would like to look for what He sees – how He made them – rather than my own opinion. As the author of this article on subjectivity and objectivity in art states: “…as soon as we call something “beautiful,” “ugly,” “charming,” “valuable,” “worthless,” “better” or “worse,” then we are passing a judgement.”
Maybe we could try to stop ranking or judging or classifying people and just examine them as we would a painting or a sculpture in a gallery. We could ask ourselves, what might the Artist have been thinking when He made this person this way? What do I see in them that is unique and interesting? Can I find something I really like in them, something I can tell them is special about who they are?
If I look really closely, I might even find we have something in common, as I discovered here. Now wouldn’t that be a much more pleasant way to interact with people?