Katy Rose Collection: Art, Words
Uncertainty & Wildflowers
For the beauty of the earth. Hymns from the past that transform today.
The year was 1863. In America, the Civil War was in full swing with families torn apart and people like Harriet Tubman sneaking through fields and rivers, risking their lives to help.
Across the Atlantic, lingering dread filled the air as scarlet fever took 30,000 lives across England.
And up on a hilltop outside the town of Bath, 28 year old Mr. Pierpoint sat watching the waving wildflowers. It was spring and River Avon sparkled as it ran past.
Ah! The sight was inspiring, a breath of fresh air.
He thought of the mercy of God's creation before him, and the words started to form…
For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies.
Christ, our Lord, to thee we raise; This our sacrifice of praise.
And then…
For the wonder of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light.
Christ, our Lord, to thee we raise; This our sacrifice of praise.
He was an Anglican poet, weaving the beauty and gratitude and grace all together for others to consider as well. The words eventually formed a hymn, frequently accompanying the Lord's Supper.
The year is 2024. Back over in America, there is turmoil and uncertainty. There always will be here on earth. I sit by a stream where my children play, wildflowers all around. I think of the words to this hymn, not knowing anything about its history or writer, only that it seemed apt in the moment as I'm thankful for God's gift of nature around us. I hope that would make Mr. Pierpoint glad to know.
FOR THE BEAUTY OF THE EARTH,
by Folliott Sandford Pierpoint, 1863
For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies.
Refrain:
Christ, our Lord, to you we raise
this, our hymn of grateful praise.
For the wonder of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale and tree and flower,
sun and moon and stars of light, [Refrain ]
For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth, and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild, [Refrain]
For yourself, best gift divine,
to the world so freely given,
agent of God's grand design:
peace on earth and joy in heaven. [Refrain]
Create with Contentment
How to create right where you are, even in your imperfect home. Plus, get the Peaceful Home Guide to help transform your chaos to calm.
This inspired me when we lived in a 250 sq foot apartment in the city, and still does today:
“It seems to me that whether it is recognized or not, there is a terrific frustration which increases in intensity and harmfulness as time goes on, when people are always daydreaming of the kind of place in which they would like to live, yet never making the place where they do live into anything artistically satisfying to them. Always to dream of a cottage by a brook while never doing anything to the stuffy house in the city is to waste creativity in this very basic area, and to hinder future creativity by not allowing it to grow and develop through use."
― Edith Schaeffer, The Hidden Art of Homemaking
Hope’s Power
I gave this art print to one of my friends who just graduated from the residential recovery program for trafficked women. It’s called ‘Hopeful’ and there is so much hope for her in Christ, so much strength He has given her to move forward in freedom. For the last couple of years, in the art class I teach, she created with intensity and passion! It has been a joy to watch. Hope is a powerful thing.
“We know that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces HOPE, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
The name for this print is based on the above verse from Romans 5 which deeply encouraged me through a rough season.
Prints are available in my Shop. See the link below.
