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I wonder sometimes if Christians, myself included, take our sin too lightly. Do we make excuses for our bad behavior, or, worse yet, fail to deal with it at all? When we sin, do we treat our offenses more casually than we should, muttering a token, “Sorry,” to the sky, when true confession and repentance is needed? Do we eagerly wrap ourselves in God’s blanket of forgiveness and then drag it through the mud with our sinful actions?

Viewing art used to feel like a marathon. I needed good running shoes on my early visits to art museums as I raced through the hallways to check off having visited all the most important works in any gallery. I had looked at the canvases, sculptures, or installations, but I hadn’t seen them. Over time, my pace slowed down as I began to be captivated by the art. Van Gogh’s Olive Trees resonated with me for both its beauty and the reminder of Jesus in Gethsemane, so a reproduction hangs above my office desk. The stunning portrait of the man chosen to carry Jesus’ cross, Simon of Cyrene by Egbert Modderman, stopped me in my tracks. And the many paintings of desert flowers by Lilias Trotter bring me joy for their beautiful tenderness.