“No one can serve two masters” Matt 6:24
Just about finished working on a piece, reflecting on my own need to “dethrone” myself (again) from the central place in my heart and life, and surrender again and trust God’s intentions for my life, versus my own designs.
During my own education and career ups and downs this year (among many great blessings, as well) I prayed, I begged, I expected, I demanded, and pretty much wore myself out looking for God’s provision (as I understood it should be). It still hasn’t come the way I demanded it, but what has come out of this time of suffering has been a keen awareness of how much I have sought to maintain control of my life, live by principles from the scriptures and with faith in God for the big stuff, and call the shots where everything else is concerned.
It hasn’t worked.
I found myself angry and chaffing at God’s wasteful (mis)management of my life, clearly I have too much to offer to be so underemployed (not to mention I hate the lack of money and prestige).
What is God thinking?
And in that, I have found the need to make a greater surrender to the One who has bought me at such a high price to Himself that I should be ashamed that I have doubted His goodwill.
God is no fool, and my life is not wasted by being entrusted to Him. Though I have been unhappy with my circumstances, as I have come to a greater surrender (one of many lifelong such encounters, I expect) there is a joy in my heart that doesn’t match my surroundings or make sense to me.
This piece was a simple reflection of that need to unseat myself from power and once again look to Jesus, my Savior and Lord, trusting not only in His love and good will, but also His grace to help me surrender afresh.
I was inspired to illustrate all this in a small space, using religious imagery (Christ knocking at the door, based on Rev 3:20), the images of revolution and overthrow, and old images I found. The verse over the heart box is from Matthew 6:24, stated above, no one can serve two masters. The ropes pulling down the king’s statue are crimson, a nod to the scarlet thread, a shadow of Christ’s blood sacrifice that saves us from our sin. It is only through the power of the cross of Christ that we can experience the power that changes us, reminding me that “all that this Grace asks, it provides.”
