In our quest for joy in our every day lives, we must pursue the timeless abstractions of life which emanate from the the original source of joy—the Divine. Joy is a direct reflection of a connection with the Divine that imbues our souls with a glimpse of what it means to be eternal.
All truth, beauty, and goodness come from this Divine source. Therefore, by pursuing what is true, good, and beautiful on Earth our mortal minds and eternal souls are elevated beyond this world to a level that is higher than ourselves.
When we are looking upward to a Divine source of truth, goodness, and beauty we are no longer lost in the narcissism of the age, but seeking the everlasting joy that we are meant to experience in union with the Divine.
The internet tends to be overlooked as a place where we can find truth, goodness, and beauty, but when utilized in the correct manner, it can help discover Divine sources of joy. Skip the outrage and head to the knowledge and beauty that is online and available to you.
One of my favorite ways of using the internet is to seek beautiful artwork. With the extensive information on the internet available to us we are able to partake of art that until a few decades ago was only available to those who lived near museums or were wealthy enough to have it in their homes. Now, we can find art easily online that can elevate our souls.
It may seem a very humble project, but over the past several years, I have been collecting artwork that I print onto photo paper with my color printer and store in folders where I can easily access it for viewing. We don’t know how long great works of art will be only a few key strokes away, so I am taking advantage of this ability while I am able to do so.
In my recent quest to find beautiful art online, I have stumbled upon many artists who capture the beauty of the human experience. One such artist is Charles Courtney Curran, an American artist born in Kentucky in 1861. His paintings capture the beauty of women and children in every day situations that often have a very touching theme that highlights the human experience and the beauty of every day life.
Above is his painting, The Lanterns, painted circa1910. I can just imagine my brother and I as children at dusk capturing lightning bugs (fireflies to some) in our front yard particularly where they would first appear under the branches of the pine trees. We would place them in Mason jars to create makeshift lanterns for the night. These moments brought great joy to my life.
The above is Curran’s painting (circa 1909), Breakfast for Three, depicting the love between a mother and daughter and the joy that a little girl finds in imitating the love of her mother with her doll. She feeds the doll with love just as her mother fed her and just as she will feed her own children one day. The love connecting the generations all captured in one moment of every day life.
We can find these moments of joy too in our lives when we find solace in the small things that connect us with generations of the past and point us to the eternal. I encourage you to seek beauty everywhere—even online where it is now easily at the fingertips of the average person if only you seek it.
May the Lord bless you with small, simple moments of joy in your every day life.
~Rae
I feel God's greatness when I swim in the morning and see the light filter through the water and shimmer on the bottom from the waves on the surface...
Very good choices in the artwork, it takes me back to my childhood. There is something special about the innocence of our youth. Thank you for reminding me!