Lift UpYour Heart

There comes a moment in the life of faith when waiting becomes movement.

“Lift Up Your Heart” is the title of one of my sculptures, but it is also an invitation. It speaks of that moment when something within us responds to the voice of the Beloved—when contemplation becomes action, hesitation gives way to trust, and faith takes a step forward.

Throughout the Song of Songs, we encounter this beautiful movement between invitation and response. The Beloved calls. The bride listens. And then comes the moment when she must decide whether she will remain where she is or rise and follow. Our spiritual lives contain these same moments.

There are seasons when God invites us to become still, to listen, to wait, and to allow something to form quietly within us. But there are also moments when stillness has accomplished its work. We hear the invitation: Rise. Come away. That is the moment this sculpture seeks to capture.

The figure reaches upward. The heart is lifted. What has been held inward begins to move outward. Faith becomes response.

Art has always given me a way to explore these movements of the heart that words alone sometimes struggle to express. A gesture, a posture, the upward movement of a figure can become a kind of visual prayer.

In this newest episode of “Reflections from the Studio,” I share the story and spiritual meaning behind “Lift Up Your Heart” and reflect upon the relationship between art, Scripture, and our willingness to respond when God calls us forward.

Click the image above to watch “Lift Up Your Heart” on YouTube. And as you watch, I invite you to carry one question with you: “What might God be inviting me to rise toward today?”

Perhaps the invitation has already been stirring quietly within you.

Perhaps it is simply waiting for your response.

— Tomas J. Fernandez

“Reflections from the Studio”Hope Through Arts