Today I visited the Pretoria Art Museum. The currently have an exhibition of art created by the students from the university. I thoroughly enjoyed absorbing the creativity and messages the students displayed in their work. Two projects struct my interest more than all the rest. Neither of these two exhibits made me oooo and ahhhh as a few of the others did, however, I stood paralyzed by the messages.
First, a beautiful pencil drawing of a black family. The clothing they wore and the room they sat in appeared colonial in style. In the foreground of the picture a large pair of black boots lay unused. The faces of the woman and the children looked full of grief. In a chair just behind the boots an outline of a man without a face or any distinguishable features caught my gaze.
The title of the picture - He's here, Isn't he?
This picture reinforced the importance of the father figure in a family. The family can't be whole, complete, or healthy without him being there. As I looked at the artwork, I sent up a prayer for all our young men at Eden. I pray they will grow into strong men who will be present and lead their future families in Christ.
Second, I saw an exhibit called Threshold. There was a stone pillar and threshold between two different floors. On one side the wood was dark brown, almost black. On the other side the wood was white with just a few dark brown boards scattered among the white boards. As I observed the art, God used it to speak to my heart. He likened the threshold to crossing racial and cultural borders. As I stared at the floor, He broke my heart anew for the people I am working with in Zimbabwe. I was reminded of so many of my lectures and conversations in University. Incarnational ministry, that's Christ's model for us. I pray that I can be a good example of the perfect model as I continually attempt to leave my world and enter theirs, so that on that Day we can cross the threshold of Jesus' Kingdom together.
First, a beautiful pencil drawing of a black family. The clothing they wore and the room they sat in appeared colonial in style. In the foreground of the picture a large pair of black boots lay unused. The faces of the woman and the children looked full of grief. In a chair just behind the boots an outline of a man without a face or any distinguishable features caught my gaze.
The title of the picture - He's here, Isn't he?
This picture reinforced the importance of the father figure in a family. The family can't be whole, complete, or healthy without him being there. As I looked at the artwork, I sent up a prayer for all our young men at Eden. I pray they will grow into strong men who will be present and lead their future families in Christ.
Second, I saw an exhibit called Threshold. There was a stone pillar and threshold between two different floors. On one side the wood was dark brown, almost black. On the other side the wood was white with just a few dark brown boards scattered among the white boards. As I observed the art, God used it to speak to my heart. He likened the threshold to crossing racial and cultural borders. As I stared at the floor, He broke my heart anew for the people I am working with in Zimbabwe. I was reminded of so many of my lectures and conversations in University. Incarnational ministry, that's Christ's model for us. I pray that I can be a good example of the perfect model as I continually attempt to leave my world and enter theirs, so that on that Day we can cross the threshold of Jesus' Kingdom together.
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