The Art of Worship

I’ll be taking a little break in our normal posts here on Wednesday’s features to give you all a little encouragement from a girl who is a lot like you. Maybe more like you than you might think!

First off, our features here on the delight blog are meant to inspire, encourage and push you to be the best version of yourself as an artist, a writer and worshipper of the king because yes, art is most definitely a form of worship! Often times, if you’re like me you’ll close out of a tab from looking at some beautiful images and have one of two thoughts running through your head. They go a little something like this:

(1) ” Wow, those were amazing and their perspective all the way from composing the shot to exporting their edit left me SO inspired! No words, those were beautiful images. I’m going to be more intentional when I shoot.”

(2) “I’m not that good, I never find cool locations like that, she probably has really nice gear, and I’ll never have as many followers as them.” And the list goes on and on and on, because comparison is a nag.

I don’t know about you but I’m usually the latter of the two, because I’m not fighting hard enough to deny my natural tendency of comparison and self-deprecation and choosing inspiration and encouragement to make myself better at the gift God has placed in my hands to glorify Him!

Can you imagine being face to face with our maker and in all His glory as He asks “What did you do with what I gave you?” and all you could say is “Well I compared myself a whole lot to her because the gift you gave her was better.”

Maybe that wouldn’t work out so well, right? Here’s the thing I have found about worship, devotion, service, passion and love to God, You cannot truly have any of those without them all going hand-in-hand.

They’re like a little family of attributes, they work best when they stick together! The beauty of the gifts God gives to us as His children is merely for the gifts and glory we can return to Him in acts of worship. Have you ever been so blessed by giving something to someone? One of my favorite things about christmas is watching my nieces and nephew open their gifts,  because the joy I get to share in giving is something you can’t find anywhere else. When I truly started to step out of my comfort zone last year by worshipping through the art of photography, God started to give me promises that were truly only from him and a new passion was stirred in my heart. Passion and art are a force of nature when put into action, It was like stepping outside of my box suddenly became the most freeing things!  My goals suddenly because “I will do’s” and my list of doubts and comparisons are fading daily as I make the choice to deny myself. I write this not to brag but to be a tangible example of how God is tangibly working in my life and fulfilling the promises he placed in my heart. Last year I made a few goals that I submitted to the Lord, one big one for me was being published either on a blog or on the press. Not for the recognition but for knowing I could do it, confidence in who I was as a photographer and simply just putting myself out there even if it meant facing rejection.

Late 2015 I was published on a popular wedding blog and an up and coming christian fashion magazine! My life verse is Eph 3:20, and His word IS truth, He wants to do exceedingly, abundantly more than we could ever ask, think, or imagine! And as an artist, I have a crazy imagination, I’m a dreamer and I think too much so the thought that God WILL surpass all of that is sometimes too much for my finite brain to comprehend. But that’s just it, He is God and I am not. The very same God has blessed you and I with various gifts, talents and abilities and what we choose to not just do with it but apply it to our lives is up to us, and when we give it to him the most beautiful thing happens.

I hope you read this and are encouraged! I would love to see your work whether you are a photographer or a young artist of another type please send us an email at submissions@delighthouse.org

xoxo,

Elizabeth Lauren