If Only We Could See

“God only knows the endless possibilities that lie enfolded in each of us.”—Lilias Trotter In the late 19th century, Lilias Trotter stood at the threshold of artistic fame, her extraordinary talent praised by the renowned critic John Ruskin. Yet, at the height of her promise, she made a radical choice that would define the course of her life. Turning away from worldly recognition and social convention, she forged her own path—one that led her through the roughest streets of London and, ultimately, to the deserts of North Africa. There, her artistic and spiritual journeys intertwined as she expanded the many-colored canvas of her creativity to embrace not only the sweeping vistas of the Sahara, but also the lives of the Arab people she loved. Blending biography, personal engagement, and theological reflection, Trafton takes listeners on an intimate journey with Lily as her friends knew her–a visionary who saw the world with an artist’s eye and a missionary’s heart, and whose imaginative