Make it a Beautiful Life

One of my favorite artists John Severson – said that his personal mission statement was this: Make it a beautiful life. Make it a beautiful life for yourself and everyone else you meet. He meant that beyond the art he created; but to make it a beautiful life for himself and others – simply by the way that he lived…. through his generosity….hospitality… having open ears… open heart…. open hands….

In 1972, shortly before his death, Abraham Joshua Heschel said in an interview: “I would say to young people a number of things… I would say, let them remember that there is a meaning beyond absurdity. Let them be sure that every little deed counts, that every word has power, and that we can do — every one — our share to redeem the world despite of all absurdities and all the frustration and all disappointments. And above all, remember that the meaning of life is to live life as it if were a work of art… When you are young, start working on this great work of art called your own existence.”

I wonder what it might look like for you to live your life – to craft your life – as though it were a work of art…

I wonder what it might look like for you to make life beautiful not only for yourself, but with everyone within your sphere of influence….

As my friend Roger Kunkel used to say, “Today – this day… is an unrepeatable miracle. Let’s make it a masterpiece!” May it be so.

Our prayer today was written by John Philip Newell. Let us pray: In the morning light, O God, may I glimpse again your image deep within me, the threads of eternal glory woven into the fabric of every man and woman. Again may I catch sight of the mystery of the human soul, fashioned in your likeness, deeper than knowing, more enduring than time. And in glimpsing these threads of light amidst the weakness and distortions of my life, let me be recalled to the strength and beauty deep in my soul. Let me be recalled to the strength and beauty of your image in every living soul.