You Have To Be Wise To Be Innocent
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I parked behind a car the other day with the bumper sticker, In God We Trust. Now some people in the U.S. take this as a national commandment, as if we were a modern Hebrew nation, all flying the same religious flag. Prominent preachers play upon this myth when they announce God’s impending judgment upon us for our sins, equating us with the ancient Assyrians of the Old Testament (although, interestingly, God went out of His way to speak to and forgive this group of people).
But trusting in God is an individual thing, and I wonder when we announce, “In God We Trust,” do we, really? Do we trust Him to be someone so wise, powerful, and omniscient that He truly handles the words and thoughts and prayers of billions of people on this planet, and compassionate enough that He cares? Or do we fit Him into the American model, in which it’s up to us to muddle our way through as best we can (praying harder, being faithful smarter, failing because we don’t meet up to His expectations)?
I painted Bold Innocence with the trust and confidence of the young child in mind. Little children know full well they are just that – little children – but this does not stop them from turning to the trusted adults in their lives with their requests (often loudly and repetitively made), confident that those trusted adults can be just that: trusted. A young child’s trust is bold, not from some misplaced confidence in their own ability to get their way if they just figure out the system, but from their humility, their vulnerability, their innocence.
More info: 2-steve-henderson.pixels.com
Bold Innocence by Steve Henderson
I parked behind a car the other day with the bumper sticker, In God We Trust. Now some people in the U.S. take this as a national commandment, as if we were a modern Hebrew nation, all flying the same religious flag. Prominent preachers play upon this myth when they announce God’s impending judgment upon us for our sins, equating us with the ancient Assyrians of the Old Testament (although, interestingly, God went out of His way to speak to and forgive this group of people).
But trusting in God is an individual thing, and I wonder when we announce, “In God We Trust,” do we, really? Do we trust Him to be someone so wise, powerful, and omniscient that He truly handles the words and thoughts and prayers of billions of people on this planet, and compassionate enough that He cares? Or do we fit Him into the American model, in which it’s up to us to muddle our way through as best we can (praying harder, being faithful smarter, failing because we don’t meet up to His expectations)?
I painted Bold Innocence with the trust and confidence of the young child in mind. Little children know full well they are just that – little children – but this does not stop them from turning to the trusted adults in their lives with their requests (often loudly and repetitively made), confident that those trusted adults can be just that: trusted. A young child’s trust is bold, not from some misplaced confidence in their own ability to get their way if they just figure out the system, but from their humility, their vulnerability, their innocence.
More info: 2-steve-henderson.pixels.com
Bold Innocence by Steve Henderson
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Thank you, Dorothy. The older I get, the more I see the beauty and wisdom of innocence -- something so incredibly precious that it must be protected, and earnestly sought.
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What was it ? "If you're not like little chlildren, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven "? :-) I think so : they ask ask and ask and ask and ask, not doubting that their requests will be granted. If we had a quarter of that trust, all of our prayers would be granted as well...
I agree -- it is very much Christ's words about being like little children that comes to mind. And while people make the obvious argument that God does not grant all our specific prayers and requests, this does not mean that He is not reaching to fulfill the desire in our hearts that prompts those requests. In the same way, there is many a little girl who asks for a pony but does not get one. But the child with good, wise parents is listened to, and the parents give to her what they can, in the best way they know how to answer her request, because they care deeply enough about her to do so. I believe that God, who is not limited, does the same.
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Thank you, Savonnah. I very much enjoy painting images that inspire and bring joy.
Load More Replies... Thank you, Dorothy. The older I get, the more I see the beauty and wisdom of innocence -- something so incredibly precious that it must be protected, and earnestly sought.
Load More Replies... What was it ? "If you're not like little chlildren, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven "? :-) I think so : they ask ask and ask and ask and ask, not doubting that their requests will be granted. If we had a quarter of that trust, all of our prayers would be granted as well...
I agree -- it is very much Christ's words about being like little children that comes to mind. And while people make the obvious argument that God does not grant all our specific prayers and requests, this does not mean that He is not reaching to fulfill the desire in our hearts that prompts those requests. In the same way, there is many a little girl who asks for a pony but does not get one. But the child with good, wise parents is listened to, and the parents give to her what they can, in the best way they know how to answer her request, because they care deeply enough about her to do so. I believe that God, who is not limited, does the same.
Load More Replies... Thank you, Savonnah. I very much enjoy painting images that inspire and bring joy.
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