“Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.” Isaiah 35
I’m often blown away by the beauty of my kids’ artwork that comes home from school. I often see a Bible passage jumping off the page and captured by their paint strokes. Artsonia emails fill my inbox, inviting me to print their art onto a coffee mug, t-shirt, keychain or mouse pad (are those still a thing?). I have found other fun uses for their artwork.
I made one of Isaak’s pieces the book cover for my Christmas On Mount Mystic. Peter’s cityscape inspired this blog post on Peter’s character, Van Gogh, and our prayer that he’ll shine like a bright light in a dark world. They sometimes become my background photo on my phone, or end up framed in my study with a Bible verse superimposed on it. I still cry when I look at Isaak’s Father’s Day “super hero” gift on my shelf from when he was about 3 that inspired this raw reflection on the vocational struggle of pastors.
Today Abby’s artwork landed in my inbox on Artsonia, jumping through the screen and pulling me into one of Isaiah’s descriptions of coming restoration. Let’s give Ms. Hans a round of applause (and a pay raise!); she’s doing a wonderful job finding great projects with stunning results!
For today, I will just let you enjoy this masterpiece and whatever it speaks to you. I saw Isaiah 35 and the river of life flowing into the barren desert. I see God’s warm and life-giving sun chasing clouds away, and shining down on souls feeling lost in the desert. I see beautiful, colorful things growing out of a prickly cactus, just like God can bring good things out of our suffering. In the river, I see God flooding our dryness with refreshment, and providing a divine current we can let pull us out of this present wilderness and into a new beginning. Finally, I see a black shadowy “thing” to the left that I’ll have to ask Abby about. What do you think it is? An animal? Rock formation?
At a spiritual retreat this past fall, we did an exercise called “Visio Divina.” We were presented with a piece of art and invited to ponder it while asking, “Where do I find myself in this painting? Why? And where is God in this scene? What message might God want to speak through this painting?” I invite you to ponder Abby’s scene above and ask yourself the same questions.
Great job, Abigail!
Kingdom Harbor 