The other day my wife and I spent some time in my studio. She organized my things and picked up a bit as I was painting. Every so often she helps "reset" my workspace.

After a little while, I picked my head up to see a renewed workspace around me. Things put away, categorized, and neatly resorted—even more so than they had already been.

One thing in particular caught my attention. Amongst my pegboard of tools, she positioned a few small icons. I shared this photo online, and one of the comments I received inspired me to write this current post.

Fr. Stephen Freeman points out that the icons are prayer tools. This comment bounced around in my thoughts for a few days.

The hammer, scissors, utility knife, paint brushes, and all other tools I have are part of what make the art possible. But icons can be understood on a deeper level. As tools for prayer. As an iconographer, it is important to remain as prayerful as possible in the making of an icon. My wife's decision to place the icons like this will now be another helpful reminder for me.

Icons and all other tools for prayer (komboskinis, incense, prayer books) are instruments of interior transformation where the ultimate purpose is union with God. Fixing one's gaze on an icon helps remove constant distractions that tend to waver our attention. Think of the woman in the red dress, social media feeds, notifications, or any mental image we have about ourselves or another person.  

The tool of the craftsman, the the brush of the iconographer, and the heart of the person in the same way. These instruments, when used prayerfully, aid in lifting creation back up to God, like a song played by the soul. 

Each of us has the ultimate instrument for showing love. The heart. To love one's neighbor is a beautiful song. In Scripture Christ gives a parable illustrating four different conditions of the heart. "Good soil" is something we can all cultivate through laying aside the cares of this life. 

The cares of this life want our constant attention and fragmented focus. It's a war. Tools for prayer are our weapons in spiritual warfare. 

Thank you for reading! And thanks to Fr. Stephen Freeman for his short and powerful comment on my post. Please share this post with someone you think may be interested.