SPIRITUALITY OF DETAILS AND FLOW
Her unmistakable presence was more that of a fighter on a mission, with a West Coast twang rather than an author with ladylike elegance and tone, though she was introduced as a “goddess,” an attractive young lady author. Her eyes sparkled with a vision to change the world, the way she sees it. Contrarily, there was also a childlike wonder and joy. It was not that I expected one thing over another. I had no expectations about who or what kind of author Juhea Kim would be. All I knew ahead of time was that she was the winner of the prestigious Tolstoy Literary Prize in 2024 for her debut novel, Beasts of a Little Land. She was also the main lecturer at Sonagi Village, right by our house. Another thing I knew about her was that she was Korean American. That piqued my interest, along with the fact that she was going to be in my neighborhood.
After the lecture, I still do not know much about Juhea Kim. Apart from the content of her lecture (she is passionate about nature, animals, and love, and she is especially passionate about saving endangered Korean tigers, primarily residing in Russia, China, and North Korea, which the book is about), two things stood out to me. She knew early on that she wanted to be a writer so she could channel her resources and effort into saving nature and animals. That precise, lucid inner knowledge was inspiring. Sometimes we just know that we know. . .
Before she came up to the podium, a special performance was given by an ensemble of seven local jazz saxophone players and one drummer, spanning a wide age range. They were wearing matching T-shirts, black pants, and shoes. After the performance, as it was her turn to speak, Juhea Kim took the stage and offered a few brief remarks about the special number. She mentioned that some were leaning forward more than others when seated to perform. While playing, all of them were tapping their feet, with some tapping their heels and others tapping the forefoot. She was drawn to each person’s unique artistic embodiment to the point that she later said, “It was truly inspiring and gave me something to ponder and write about.” That observation won my respect for her even before the lecture began. The fact that she was “inspired” by such details inspired me. She possessed keen awareness and the ability to observe what was taking place in fine detail.
That same week, our dear friends’ daughter gave her final master recital in the Netherlands. When they shared the YouTube recording, I was captivated by her performance, which combined the concert grand and her signature toy piano, blending mime in the background. I admit her creative imagination flew way over my head, confounding my rigid mind. Though I could not see her eyes, I could see that she was in her element, flowing effortlessly with a certain kind of flair, obsession with details, and mastery.
Ahh, flow and details. My wife recently went through a personal online enrichment program to discover her artistic expression, not to improve her art techniques but to discover herself in the process. She also used the word flow, trying to shift from what was once unaware or unknown inhibitions to allowing herself to flow freely.
Details are what make life meaningful and grounded. Details are what make us, as humans. We all find meaning in details, the repeated details we call patterns or unique footprints. God is so big that God must be in the details. All the miracles and signs Jesus performed would be meaningless without the details that surrounded their contexts. We do not first live our lives by walking on air or flying 30,000 feet in the sky. Sometimes we are so low to the ground, grinding, slow, and detailed in life, that we get tired and worn out from crawling, much less walking. But the detail, or the ground, is precisely where grace is and where we find meaning. Grace would not be grace without details or fine print. Once we see it, we cannot unsee it. This awareness and a sense of meaning give us the courage to lift our eyes and fly. Somehow, we must live and appreciate the details to see the big and fly.
I am convinced that all of us are designed and thus meant to flow, flow freely and naturally—as we are, neither what others think of us nor what we feel we should be. God blesses us, and we are to channel God’s blessings beyond us as we let them flow through us. Our responsibility is to recognize what inhibits us and do what is necessary to remove what may be blocking. Of course, the removal process is ultimately not our doing, but purely grace-empowered. That way, what flows through us is not merely us or ours, but has its origin, the original spring, in God, the Giver. The amazing grace is that God honors each of our unique selves to flow, displaying God’s glory for the sake of the world. We are to be God’s flowing agents!