This particular doodle has some significance for me.  I’m a scrutinizer–I always want to know why or how for everything, especially regarding art or religion.  (BTW, this doodle is for yesterday, September 14)  Let me break it down for you–‘scrutinize’ what I just said if you will–first, let’s scrutinize the artist side of me. As an inexperienced artist, when I wanted to depict a tree I fought against over-complicating it by trying to add every branch and leaf–after all, that’s what makes up a tree, right!?  Right!  However, my paintings seemed busy, overworked, there was no place to ‘rest.’  I couldn’t see the ‘tree’ for the branches and I couldn’t enjoy the rest of the painting because the branches kept drawing the eye back to them.  As I learned to simplify, paint a solid shape with little detail, the rest of the painting felt better.  One could see the cloud in the sky and the bird flying by, as well as the shade the tree had to offer and so on.

Now, let’s apply this to the spiritual side of my life.  I was taught to obey God in all the rules and then given all the reasons why by ‘scrutinizing’ God’s word even further (this is a very simplified version here).  Yes, God is made up of many complex parts, but in spiritual things you can’t ‘think’ or ‘reason’ about God because in human terms–God is unreasonable.  He doesn’t do things the way we do–would you die for something you created?  All He asks of us is to SIMPLIFY.  Step back (this is the obedience part), see the full beauty of Him and His act, believe and let Him show you the rest of the details (doctrines), they will become clearer as you get to know Him. (check out 1 Corinthians 11)  With this approach I’ve learned to enjoy my life much more.  I can rest my eyes on the ‘tree’ as well as enjoy the birds and the clouds and the flowers and my children, and the home I live in and my job and, and, and . . . there is life much more abundant because I’m not distracted by the ‘branches’ of doctrine (rules) but live in the solid shape of the tree (Christ).