Down in the Depths

That's the title of the other piece I got to exhibit at last week's event.  Today is a good day to show you this one. (You can see the first piece here.)  

On our darkest days we question our existence, our Creator, and our pain.  ‘Why?’ But just as God had great plans for a runaway prophet, our days in the belly of a fish are precious times of preparation and training. The Scriptures tell us that we can “rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Romans 5:3-4). Through our brokenness and sin, our scars tell a powerful story of God’s love and rescue. I hope this will encourage you to face your own sea monsters, proclaim at every opportunity your story of being raised from the depths, and join in David’s psalms:

“I waited patiently for the Lord;
he inclined to me and heard my cry.
He drew me up from the pit of destruction,
out of the miry bog,
and set my feet upon a rock,
making my steps secure.
He put a new song in my mouth,
a song of praise to our  God.
…
I have told the glad news of deliverance
in the great congregation;
behold, I have not restrained my lips,
as you  know, O Lord.”

(Psalm 40:1-3,9 ESV) 

Ropes of Grace and a Broken Roof

Last Friday I got to be part of an art event where I got to showcase two drawings.  The event was called The Art of Hope: (Searching for) Beauty in the Broken and was held at my church.  Besides visual art, there was poetry, musical performances, but most importantly--lots of mingling and answering questions about my art.  It was good practice for me to put aside being self-conscious.  The healthy struggle of creating drawings towards a theme as well as writing the text to go with them were a great experience and opportunity. 

Have you stared long enough at the picture to figure out what it is? I should say, who you are? The drawing is based on the story of the paralyzed man, which can be found in Mark 2:1-12.  He is being lowered through a hole in the roof by his four friends so he can be healed by Jesus.