Reaching for the Divine

I was watching a program on BYUTV called "Artful." Brian Kershisnik was one of the artists featured. He made many thoughtful comments that intrigued me, but one that I've been thinking about ever since was, "A significant part of being a human is reaching for the Divine."

 https://www.byutv.org/player/b5a3af8f-cb9f-4e8e-85eb-2a2de8761c84/artful-brian-kershisnik-and-paige-anderson

She Will Find What is Lost by Brian Kershisnik

Of this painting Brian wrote, "...many unseen forces are interested in you, love you, and work to influence matters for your profound benefit.  Most of what we all do is resist it, misinterpret it, or mess it up, but my experience indicates that these unseen efforts persist impossibly.  I thank God for that." 

Reaching for God- I love the word reaching. It is an action word that involves stretching in an intentional way that may cause us to become off balance. We may shift our weight and step forward. We reach for a hand for comfort or to show affection or to gain strength. We reach for a desired object on the top shelf. We aren't sure we can do it, but we hope we can, so we try. God is always there, loving us, planning for us, ready to give us aid, to help us be like Him, our Father. So if I'm reaching for God, I'm not just reading my scriptures, I'm looking for him, what I can do to be closer, how he thinks, how he blesses, how he teaches, what gifts he has that he would love me to have. And I stretch, intentionally leaning towards him with all my might.

Reaching for the Divine in self- We know we are God's children, his very creations, heirs to all he has. Usually I don't feel that divine. But within me and you are qualities that are beautiful, eternal, amazing. As I was watching Brian Kershisnik create, he spoke of liking to draw as a boy. "No one would have said, 'This young man shows a lot of promise." In his twenties he decided to give art a try. He painted and painted, thousands of paintings, some of which weren't all that good by his own description, but some of which were very, very good.

Nativity by Brian Kershisnik

 I'll admit, I'm a little envious of the masters, those who have worked and dedicated their life to becoming an expert in their field. But that's not the only way to reach for the divine in self. As I work each day to develop ideas, create beautiful spaces, solve problems, connect with the people I encounter, learn, grow, stretch in intentional ways, good things happen. I change. I'm not a master gardener or even a good gardener. I'm a girl who loves to partner with God in creating and helping plants grow to nourish and beautify. I work hard. I fail, a lot. My garden is becoming more productive. Good things are happening.

Reaching for the Divine in Others- This idea has been very enlightening and helpful. I'm always working on being a more loving, patient, kind person. I'm always working on this because, more than I care to admit, I find myself in a snit. People around me are not living up to my expectations, and I'm not happy about it. I'm not proud of this, but it's how I feel. I will not address how I'm not living up to others expectations. That's another topic completely. Reaching for the divine in others completely removes the performance aspect. I am not judging choices, I am looking for and finding the best. I am seeing the cheerful countenance, best intentions, special gifts-developed and undeveloped, heart's desire, and divine potential. I am not distracted by hair, clothes, untidy rooms, human frailties, or my unmet expectations. How freeing is this?

Thank you, Mrs. Kershisnik for teaching me about reaching for the Divine, the pure, the beautiful, the light, the edifying, the love in life.