Capturing the Light

I recently read some excerpts from the memoir A Dream About Lightning Bugs by musician Ben Folds, in which he muses about the process of becoming an artist. It occurred to me that his observations also apply to the process of discovering God and becoming a person of faith.

Consider the following comments by Folds and my own related observations:

• "At its most basic, making art is about following what’s luminous to you and putting it in a jar, to share with others."

     At its most basic, living a life of faith is about following the light of Christ and capturing its essence, so we can share it with others.

• "We all see something blinking in the sky at some point, but it’s a damn lot of work to put it in the bottle. Maybe that’s why only some of us become artists. Because we’re obsessive enough, idealistic enough, disciplined enough, or childish enough to wade through whatever is necessary, dedicating life to the search for these elusive flickers, above all else."

     Integrating the light of Christ into our lives—entering through the narrow gate, as it were—is hard work and requires that we be obsessive enough, idealistic enough, disciplined enough, and child-like enough to dedicate ourselves to pursuing and trusting in that light.

• "Position yourself upon a bedrock of honesty and self-knowledge, so that your writing comes from your own unique perspective. Know where you stand and what your flaws are."

     Be honest about your motivations, be clear about your beliefs, and cultivate humility by knowing your flaws and limitations.

• "Empathy and perspective are everything, and neither should be taken for granted."

     In our interactions with others, we need to love our neighbors as ourselves (that is, be willing to understand their experience as well as we understand our own) and remember that others have thoughts, feelings, and experiences that are different from ours and no less valid.

• "I think it has to be about subtraction. It’s not a matter of cooking up a persona or style so much as it is stripping away what’s covering up the essence, what was already there."

     We need to strip away the self image we have spent a lifetime constructing (that is, die to self) to reveal the essence of Christ, who already dwells in and through us.

Artists and people of faith have a lot in common—dedication, perseverance, fidelity to the truth, humility, appreciation of diversity and beauty, and the luminosity of those who seek and find. We are kindred spirits—let us value and support each other!