Defining Marks

"Peaches" in colored pencil (8/3/2016)

In developing my new hobby, drawing, I have been using things that are found in my garden as my subject.  This summer, fruits seemed to be the obvious choice.  Being in close proximity, I thought that I would have a better grasp of the appearance of the fruits and the relationship between light and shadow on their form. I found out that I have no mastery of the fruits I have been eating and growing in my garden.  Take the peach for example,  I may be familiar with the general appearance but I found it difficult to draw and depict that general impression of a peach even if I am actually looking at a picture to copy during the process.  At first it came out looking like a lemon and I would have been happy to call it so but the leaf did not match the fruit. Oh, the joy of teaching myself something new.  I'm sure that there are instructions on how to do these simple things but I want to experience the process of discovering the marks that define an object.  There is indeed a deeper sense of understanding required in being able to duplicate what we see as beautiful.

Life presents us a similar structure. We are always copying something and Christians for example are called to copy the life of Christ. The question is, what is the rate of success in producing the Christ-like appearance in their lives?  We have a general idea of what a Christian should look and we admit that we live that life and yet we still need to tell others that we are Christians.  Should it not be enough that others look at us and know that we are?  I have learned, as clearly depicted through my attempts in drawing, that it is the small details of our lives that define our true form when we are exposed to light.  A slight deviation from such details will distort the image.  This makes me think of my own life.  What image does my life illustrate?  Do people see a picture of a follower of Christ?  If not, what defining marks am I missing?

"An unexamined life is not worth living."  Socrates