Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people.
—Colossians 3:23 CEV
How and why we do our work matters.
I remember thinking that this was true the first time I visited the black and white striped marvel that is Siena Cathedral.
Standing close to the entrance and off to the left, I studied the four statues that the great Michelangelo had carved for the Piccolomini Altarpiece.
For all of four minutes.
Yet, I spent nearly an hour taking in the images on the cathedral’s marble mosaic floor and its drawings. The soldiers brandishing weapons, women and children in distress, each face animated in vivid color, captivated me.
No wonder Renaissance architect, artist, and historian Giorgio Vasari called it the “most beautiful… and most magnificent floor ever made.”
And he was a man who knew what he was talking about when it came to art.
Believe me when I tell you that the floor still stops the show.
Yet, I have no idea who designed it, who laid all those mosaics, and I don’t care.
I do care that the floor made me feel, caused me to wonder. And that the mosaics touched my heart with their beauty and the stories they told.
After I returned outside, it became clear that the people who had created that remarkable floor didn’t care whether anyone knew their names either.
Because I had noticed the statues of the prophets, way up at the top. These had facial details and inscriptions that only someone from above—like God—would be able to see.
What the artisans who constructed Siena Cathedral cared about most was pleasing the One who already knew their names.
Working for love is a timeless strategy God designed with our happiness and success in mind.
Nobody gets a “big head.” Everyone benefits from experiencing works of beauty, and God gets the glory.
I saw this strategy in action most recently during the latest Mission: Impossible movie. The movie is a rollercoaster of plot twists and special effects, with emotional highs and lows that help us experience the action alongside the characters.
But I didn’t notice the strategy at work until the end credits began rolling.
Thousands of names appeared on the screen, each listed next to its corresponding job title.
And though I focused like a laser scanner on reading them all, I didn’t recognize a single name.
Yet, each had played a crucial role in entertaining me, making Tom Cruise more famous, and confirming once again that good ultimately triumphs over evil.
(No spoiler alert needed here. This is a Mission: Impossible movie, after all.)
And that’s why your mission, Sunshine, if you decide to accept it, is to do your best and let it be.
The One who makes everything beautiful in its time (Ecclesiastes 3:11) will do the rest (1 Thessalonians 5:24).
🖊️QUOTES FOR CREATIVES BY CREATIVES
WHEN LOVE FUELS YOUR WORK
Do you need reassurance that doing your best always pays off, even when no one sees it?
Reflect on one or more of these quotes. Each reminds us that love—for that thing we do, for others, for God—is what gives us joy and lends significance to our lives.
French Carmelite Monk Brother Lawrence
“We ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God… God regards not the greatness of the work but the love with which it is performed.”
“Work is love made visible.”
Lebanese-American Writer, Poet, Painter, and Philosopher Khalil Gibran
“How different our lives would be if we could but believe that every little act of faithfulness is part of building God’s kingdom.”
Dutch Catholic Priest & Author Henri Nouwen
✨ARTISTS’ CORNER
EXPERIENCING TUSCANY
Tuscany, located in central Italy, is home to Siena and its stunning cathedral.
Thanks to its being home to several Italian cities teeming with art, architecture, and fabulous eats, it has become Italy’s most popular travel destination.
So I made sure to include a generous taste of Tuscany’s art, architecture, fabulous eats, and more in the immersive experience I’ve been developing for you.
Yes, it touches on art made popular by well-known native sons of the region, such as Michelangelo and da Vinci.
However, it also aims to introduce you to lesser-known Tuscan artists whose art impacted the culture of their time and since.
Do you like the sound of the Italian language? Have you ever wanted to speak it yourself?
Tuscany is the birthplace of Italy’s greatest poet, Dante, whose work popularized the Italian dialect that has become the standard Italian spoken today.
With your future travels to Italy and your desire to better understand and appreciate Italian music and cinema in mind, I have included a section on the usefulness of the Italian language and ways to learn it.
And places off the beaten track in Italy, where you can practice it. Like the city of Lucca.
So whether you’re nuts for Tuscany’s art, its flavors, or the beauty of its language, this coming experience will help you savor it all.
And that’s all she wrote (for this edition.)
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