I’m sitting at the Salt Lake City airport, killing time as I wait for my connecting flight. The lengthy four hour layover offers a fruitful space for pondering.

There is a wall here that showcases some landscape paintings from regional artists. As I studied the various brush strokes, colors, styles, and scenes, I soon found myself drawn in and enamored by them.

I’ve recently been struck by the beauty of things, primarily in nature– mountain ranges, flowers and trees in bloom, the sky. They make me so aware of God’s love for me. Each one is another verse in His great love song for me, meant to romance and win my heart. And so it was as I viewed the paintings today.

It occurred to me how much pleasure they must also bring God. To know that His original creation captured and romanced someone’s attention– so much so that the beholder felt compelled to replicate it and share it with others.

Also, the artist’s re-creation brings the grandeur of God’s design to a wider audience, many of whom may never have the opportunity to experience the original creation firsthand.

And perhaps more importantly, by expressing it through his own hands and eyes, the artist adds a very real, tangible element of himself to the original work. In doing so, he collaborates with God to create an even richer portrayal of the original beauty.

And finally, the artist’s efforts invite the audience to participate in this new creation as well. How much more beauty is brought to the experience through the people who are brave enough and open enough to enter into that sacred space and bring themselves to it!

One could argue that the artist and the audience bring the work to completion. While the original work lacked nothing, their participation in the creative endeavor elevates the final product to even greater heights.