One of my Leadership Development coaches last year exhorted encouraged me to dig into the Bible, to sit with a small passage of text and meditate on it and it alone. She knew and knows how my brain works; it makes connections to everything I’m reading. By the time I finish with a chapter in Romans, I have cross-references to Psalms, Galatians, Hebrews, 1 Peter, and possibly some book I’ve read.
It isn’t a bad practice, particularly for a person who’s more head and hands than heart. Cross-references keep me solidly in the text. However, the practice also sends my brain into overdrive. I don’t believe I’m still or restful when I approach the Bible in such a manner. I should use the practice, yes, but I should limit its use and practice other study and meditation techniques.
One of them has become art, specifically, hand lettering. Once a week (or twice, depending on how long the art takes), I settle at the table and draw. I think about what the pastor discussed on Sunday; consider additional Scriptural references; and reread the primary passage. I then visualize—sometimes days in advance of “art day”—how the hand lettered words will appear on the page, what style of script to attempt, et cetera.
As I sit in the chair and grid out the paper, a strange and wonderful transformation takes place: my brain, which usually runs however many clicks per minute, slows its pace. I focus, much in the way I do when drawing a new Write Right comic. The difference, though, lies in what captures my attention. My mind and hands, and eventually my heart, get caught up in the wonder of the Bible and what God says in it.
I get a glimpse into what David might have felt when penning these words.
I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait,
And in his word do I hope.
My soul waits for the Lord
More than the watchmen for the morning;
Indeed, more than the watchmen for the morning. (Psalm 130:5-6, NASB)
For me, art as meditation enables watchful waiting. I become still, and, in that stillness, I hear the quiet, commanding voice that calms storms.