Chapter 1: Cosmos from Chaos
"Listen to the silence. Stay open to the voice of the Spirit." I think L'Engle wants her readers to know that sometimes we just need to "be." We need to be still and listen and realize that God is real and this world is evil. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the time, in the clocks, in the alarms... that we forget to just settle down and enjoy the present.
"Slow me down, Lord." Just like the previous quote, this is a daily reminder to STOP AND LISTEN. Realize that there is more to this life than just tasks, and TRULY LIVE.
"The artist must be obedient to the work." In my opinion, L'Engle was trying to get her readers to follow through with what they do. If you start a piece in pottery, finish it, and finish it well! There is no reason to create something if you are not going to give 110%!
"When the work takes over, then the artist listens." I feel like my interpretation of this fits perfectly with who I am as a potter. When I create things, I literally get so lost in the creation [in a good way] that I forget what I am doing if I take a minute to think about it. I can be sitting at a table with slabs, and once I start going at it and building, it is like I have been going non-stop for hours. It feels like the clay is taking over and doing exactly what I want it to do.
Chapter 2: Icons of the True
"Religious art transcends its future and reflects the eternal..." Some part of me does not like this statement because it almost takes the impact away from the present. I think we should always be looking for ways to improve art in the future and try to find ways to influence others around us by the way that we live and love, but I also think that it is important to try and correct/perfect the present. I don't think L'Engle meant this in a negative way AT ALL.. but I think that it can be taken the wrong way by certain people.
"We do not have to enjoy precisely the same form of balanced meal." This means that just because someone is trying to reach their goal differently than you are, you can't judge them. We talk about this in my youth group all the time. Just like how L'Engle wrote that her and her husband seek God differently, there are many ways that my youth group seeks God. Sometimes it is through nature, song, prayer, fellowship, and sometimes even just relaxing. And no way is better than another way, especially if they are all bringing you closer to God.
I think the purpose of these two chapters is to get the reader to stop and breathe sometimes. To realize that this life goes by pretty quickly, and if we do not stop and look up every once and awhile, we might just miss what is important. We cannot get caught up in the everyday routine of life if we want to really enjoy it. I have a hard time with this sometimes. Going to school every day, going to practice afterwards, going home to do homework... It is all very routine but if I live like that all the time and just go through the motions, I miss the best part - enjoying it! I also think that L'Engle wanted to emphasize the part about doing things differently than other people, and being okay with that. IT IS OKAY to study differently than your best friend. We were all made differently, so we can study/worship/eat differently!
"Listen to the silence. Stay open to the voice of the Spirit." I think L'Engle wants her readers to know that sometimes we just need to "be." We need to be still and listen and realize that God is real and this world is evil. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the time, in the clocks, in the alarms... that we forget to just settle down and enjoy the present.
"Slow me down, Lord." Just like the previous quote, this is a daily reminder to STOP AND LISTEN. Realize that there is more to this life than just tasks, and TRULY LIVE.
"The artist must be obedient to the work." In my opinion, L'Engle was trying to get her readers to follow through with what they do. If you start a piece in pottery, finish it, and finish it well! There is no reason to create something if you are not going to give 110%!
"When the work takes over, then the artist listens." I feel like my interpretation of this fits perfectly with who I am as a potter. When I create things, I literally get so lost in the creation [in a good way] that I forget what I am doing if I take a minute to think about it. I can be sitting at a table with slabs, and once I start going at it and building, it is like I have been going non-stop for hours. It feels like the clay is taking over and doing exactly what I want it to do.
Chapter 2: Icons of the True
"Religious art transcends its future and reflects the eternal..." Some part of me does not like this statement because it almost takes the impact away from the present. I think we should always be looking for ways to improve art in the future and try to find ways to influence others around us by the way that we live and love, but I also think that it is important to try and correct/perfect the present. I don't think L'Engle meant this in a negative way AT ALL.. but I think that it can be taken the wrong way by certain people.
"We do not have to enjoy precisely the same form of balanced meal." This means that just because someone is trying to reach their goal differently than you are, you can't judge them. We talk about this in my youth group all the time. Just like how L'Engle wrote that her and her husband seek God differently, there are many ways that my youth group seeks God. Sometimes it is through nature, song, prayer, fellowship, and sometimes even just relaxing. And no way is better than another way, especially if they are all bringing you closer to God.
I think the purpose of these two chapters is to get the reader to stop and breathe sometimes. To realize that this life goes by pretty quickly, and if we do not stop and look up every once and awhile, we might just miss what is important. We cannot get caught up in the everyday routine of life if we want to really enjoy it. I have a hard time with this sometimes. Going to school every day, going to practice afterwards, going home to do homework... It is all very routine but if I live like that all the time and just go through the motions, I miss the best part - enjoying it! I also think that L'Engle wanted to emphasize the part about doing things differently than other people, and being okay with that. IT IS OKAY to study differently than your best friend. We were all made differently, so we can study/worship/eat differently!
http://www.ojccc.org/2013/10/walking-on-water-like-children-again/