Since I began my beginners painting class – I’m becoming more and more aware of details in the things around me.

In our second class we were shown how to paint a sky – now – I love skies – as you will know if you follow my blog – but now I find myself looking at them – as if through the eyes of an artist – not that I am an artist (yet!) – but observing the sky – the colours – patterns – movement – in much more detail.

I’m becoming more aware.

Last week we had a try at painting a scene – a winter scene – with ‘bare’ trees – and I dutifully copied my tree – but – since then I find that I am taking much more notice of the structure of trees as I travel around – they’re beginning to fascinate me.

Lyrics of a verse of a hymn that I knew many years ago came to mind  –

Heaven above is softer blue,
Earth around is sweeter green;
Something lives in every hue
Christless eyes have never seen:
Birds with gladder songs o’erflow,
Flowers with deeper beauties shine,
Since I know, as now I know,
I am His, and He is mine.

So often I have heard people say how true this is – that there’s a sense in which – as we get closer to God – we become much more aware of the things around us – we seem to see more detail – to see the beauty – the colours – the wonder.

Thinking about this made me ponder on how I see the people that are around me -people that I see from day to day – how  aware of them am I – do I really see them – seek to see beyond the surface – beyond the picture that they may at first seem to present to me.

Everyone is different – yet it’s so easy to simply see people in just a general way – instead of seeing beyond – to see the person they really are.

My prayer is that – not only will I become more aware – through painting – or other means – of things around me – but that my awareness might be heightened to see in more detail those around me – to become more aware of them – of the details that make up their lives – that I might appreciate them more – take more notice – look through the eyes of love – through eyes – that God – has heightened with awareness.