There is that tiresome old phrase, "The devil is in the details." But, it's in the details where God's Love may appear most vividly.
Find Beauty in the leaf and you have found her in the entire forest. Explore joy in the crest of a wave and you have discovered the majesty of the ocean. Find your compassion in the tears of another and you have glimpsed God.
It requires the stillness of Elijah to feel the rich textures that weave through great music, the calm of meditation to taste the colors in a glass of Communion wine or to hear beauty's song playing in the eyes of one you love.
If we rush we will miss the joy of life's jasmine scent. Velocity can steal from us the offerings of the forest awakening at dawn or the sight of the hospital windows lit by the low angle of the evening sun.
To hear the heart of another, we must fall silent. In this presence, we can listen for the breath beneath the words.
This is not about what the workman does. It is not about his tools or his end-of-the-day fatigue. It is about the long, red X of the safety harness pressed against his back, the hint of matching scarlet in the stop sign beyond, the wrinkles that furrow his tee shirt, the white that ricochets off car and helmet and sky and the letters S.T.O. & P.
If we can find the joy in things as "slight" as these, perhaps we can hear more deeply the needs of our own heart. Maybe we will be better able to meet the needs of others.
This is not about the cost of a silver tea service or whether the lace on the sideboard needs 
trimming. It is about the shine at the right edge of the platter, the delicacy of lace, the reflection of the two bowls, the feast away from the food and what ever other elegance you may experience.
Most of all, this is about learning to see with the eyes of our hearts.
Our world fast becomes wearying if we can see a fence only for its function without recognizing 
the whorls in its wood, the scent of cut lumber, the occasional leaf that reaches between the slats to wink at us.
A camera helps me to see these details. But, the camera is only one way to focus the heart's attention.
What I hope is that you will see in a deeper way this day and night. For if we recognize Love in this world, we can only want to serve her – not for personal gain, but because we are in Love and Love can only love
The world is drenched in riches. We have the gift of our senses. Neither matters unless we marry the two in a new experience of God.
-Reverend Erie Chapman
All photographs copyright Erie Chapman 2011
Journal of Sacred Work 
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