After reading the parable of the sower as told by Jesus in the Gospel of Luke I was puzzled by the soil. What was it that caused the soil to get the way it was? Jesus likened the soil to the human heart. Those who hear the word (the seed) with a "noble and good heart" are the ones who produce the 60 to 100 fold. Jesus simply did not say how the heart got noble and good... or how the other heart/soil conditions in the parable got the way they were. So, I asked the Lord in prayer: "Lord, how does the heart become ready to receive the seed of the Word?" He answered me today by reminding me of something I heard some time back. "Emotions are the road map to the heart." Then He went on to tell me one of the main ways that emotions are captured is through art. That's right, art. As an artist I hold in my hand the power to till the soil of the human heart or to make it hard; to prepare it for the seed of God's word or to cause it to be distracted by the thorns which are the cares of the world. May I as a follower of Jesus respect the power of art to help others deepen their relationship with God. My art is not just for me; my art is really His art. Lord, help me use the gift of art for your glory in the service of others.
