[God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. 

Ecclesiastes 3:11

One of the activities Rebekah and I have consistently enjoyed over several cruise experiences has been attending art exhibitions, classes, receptions, and auctions.

I, admittedly, grew up a little bit of a philistine when it comes to understanding or appreciating art, while Rebekah has invested a lifetime of interest and education in the subject. She took a college minor in Art History, and has always cultivated a more sophisticated arts palette – kind of her Rembrandt to my Charles Shultz.

Still learning and refining my taste:

Over the years, however – both via Rebekah’s encouragement and through our ongoing travels to places where art and history come together so profoundly – I have learned a huge amount, and fallen in love with a wide variety of expressions.

The importance of creativity is something I continue to explore in my writing, most notably in terms of the Bible’s teaching that humankind is “Made in the image of God.” (see “In God’s Image” – 2016).

It is obvious we do not look like the Lord physically, so maybe the idea points to the attributes of God? One of the best and most consistent ways God is described is as “Creator.” We may not be able to say something like, “God is exceptionally good looking, tall and dark-haired with brown eyes and the grace of an athlete…” But we could say that God is “Creator – always creating, always imaginative and inventive, always being the essential creative force in and beyond the universe.”

Given that kind of description, it would follow that – as beings “made in the image of God” – you and I honor that image to the extent that we are creative in any and all aspects of life.

Art, then, is one of the ways humans reach out to God and honor God in the divinity-saturated creativity displayed. The same goes for music, and writing, and so much more.

On this particular cruise Rebekah and I found ourselves drawn into the exceptional and extensive collection of original work on display. The gallery staff, Milos and his cohorts, were not only enthusiastic and knowledgeable, but personable and engaging.

We talked a lot about how and why art touches our souls so deeply. For me, and hopefully to many who think about such things, it is impossible to conclude anything other than that God’s initiatives are at play in the truly great works.

Even, sometimes, when the artists themselves do not necessarily intend it. Because real beauty and creativity always point – inexorably – to divine truths. – DEREK

art from the ship’s gallery, and from the market in Aruba