A guided art meditation is simply a time to be still, contemplate and allow God to speak to you through art. While we are accustomed to verbal and written forms of communication, art is a visual form which connects with our minds and hearts in a very different way. It is a way of communicating without using words.

Settle Yourself and Release

Find a quiet place to relax and meet God. Send all of your current thoughts down a river and watch them float away. Still yourself inside. Breathe deeply.

Encounter: The Way of the Cross

For this breather, spend several minutes looking at this piece, “Via Crucis” by Pablo Sanaguano Sanchez (Ecuador/Contemporary).

Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.”
Mark 8:34 (NIV)

Contemplate: Walking His Path

What do you notice about the posture of those bearing the cross?
What about the posture of those at the bottom of the painting?
What are the hands doing in the painting?
Why do the people at the bottom of the painting have masks on?
What do the faces of those bearing the cross communicate?
What color is the sky? What color are the buildings? What might that signify?
What is the positional relationship between those bearing the cross and those at the bottom of the painting?
What type of path are those bearing the cross walking on?
How do we show others that we follow Jesus?
What does bearing the cross look like today?

Pray

Get quiet again.
First thank God for showing you his way.
Ask Him how He wants you to bear his cross today.
Listen to how He might use your cross-bearing to minister to those around you.
Journal about what you feel Him saying to you.

Ben Snyder is a member of Soul Care Collective’s Steering Committee.