Behind

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I got the inspiration to write this blogpost from a line during service at church today. I heard it, and I was expecting our pastor to kinda follow up on what he just said, but instead he switched topics and continued the sermon. But that one statement stood out to me, and its been on my mind since then. I want to set up a little bit of the background and then I'll get to the main idea/question. To point out, I will paraphrase a lot of what was said in service today, so if you were there, skip down to where I begin discussing the main idea (I'll put the skip forward point in big capital letters).

So if you are any sort of a fanatic of painting, or if you just kinda like painting, or even if you don't like painting whatsoever, you still have probably heard of the Mona Lisa. It is considered to be one of if not the most valuable paintings of all time. I would venture to say that most everyone knows that the Mona Lisa is kept in the Louvre, which is in Paris, France. Every year, no every day, thousands of tourists flock to this painting, this timeless piece of history, just to get a glimpse. The room that holds the Mona Lisa is almost always crowded, but one thing that we almost never hear about is the painting on the other wall of the Mona Lisa. Actually, this is the painting:

Marriage at Cana

Pretty sweet right? Not to mention the fact that its like 20 by 30 feet or something like that. Our pastor went on to talk about how the architect who designed the room to be like the way it is, with the Mona Lisa on one side, and the Marriage at Cana on the opposite wall, gave this reason for the design:

"I wanted people to have to turn their backs on one of the paintings in order to really be able to see the other."

SKIP FORWARD POINT

So, I will repost the last line because it was what really stuck with me after church and pretty much throughout this whole day.

"I wanted people to have to turn their backs on one of the paintings in order to really be able to see the other."

When I heard this, I instantly thought about Christ. This quote isn't really about paintings. It's a perfect way to sum up the gospel message. Christ constantly reminds us of truths such as : "I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." In reality, in our lives, Christ is on one side of the room and the world is on the opposite wall. What we need to realize right now is that it is impossible to see both.

Okay, obviously it is not impossible. One could argue that you could do a sideways stance and see both at the same time. And I would argue that even then, you can't see both walls at the same time. At least not fully. However, this sideways "stance" is exactly what so many Christians do on a daily basis. We as Christians have become content in living this lifestyle that gives glory to God, while also making sure that we entertain certain notions of this world. We have to be comfortable, we have to be considered people of good standing, we have reputations to uphold, and jobs to keep. We have meetings to go to and people that are counting on us. Sooner or later, we find ourselves playing this game of head turning, wanting to look to God, but always turning back to make sure that everything is "in order" with the painting of the world.

I want to point out two really convicting ideas that this quote sparked in my heart, and then I will wrap up with a bit of scripture. The first idea is the idea of the painting of the world. I was having lunch with my roommate and discussing this very idea, and he made a really neat point. He said that if the world was a painting or an "image," that it would be a mirror. The more I thought about this, the more I realized that he was dead on. The world is just one big mirror, constantly telling us and showing us that we need to be more focused on ourselves. The world is so quick to point out the ways that we need to improve, or the ways that we need to change ourselves to match up with it's definitions. The world is a comparative place. You either make the cut or you don't. When you look in the mirror, you either change to keep up or you stay the same and become an outcast. How powerful is a simple mirror. Let me ask you a question. When is the last time that you walked by a mirror and didn't look at it. I am not talking about standing in front of it and examining every last pore on your face. But what I am talking about is the slightest bit of a glance. That little bit of shifting eyes; that one split second when you catch yourself looking back. We are so drawn by the power of self comparison, of judgement, and of criticism that we almost cant even help but look in the mirror of the world. What we fail to realize is that on the opposite wall, there is an painting that is so much more powerful that any mirror could ever be. That painting is of two wooden beams, shaped like a cross. The perfect demonstration of love.


The second convicting idea that I can't really shake is the thought that when we stand straddling the line between God and the world, we only really see the cross from one side or one angle. Bear with me here. If we are constantly turning our head back and forth from God to the world, we only ever really see the cross as something we need. We realize that without the cross, there is no other painting, but we aren't willing to stand right in front of it and lay ourselves down. With our head swiveling back and forth, we never see the cross for what it is really is, and that is the amazing, perfect and totally UNDESERVED love of Christ. The cross is not only our salvation, it is our power. By the cross Christ conquered over death. By the cross Christ abolished all of our sin, and on the cross, He laid down his life so that one day, you and I could have the chance to do the same. Don't we get it? The cross is the reason we exist, the reason we breathe, the reason we love, laugh, think, pray, hope, dream, and live. The cross isn't just something we need to keep our Christian fasod . IT IS EVERYTHING THAT WE NEED TO LIVE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS.

So tonight, I am asking you the question that has been on my heart all day long, and that will probably sit and jab at me until I can honestly answer it. Am I willing to turn my back on the world, to look fully in the face of Christ and all of His Glory? Am I willing to turn my back to the mirrors, in order to reflect the one true image of grace and love. Am I willing to make a stand in the middle of the room, just to be able to kneel before the cross, in complete surrender to the one true God. I hope that some of these questions speak to you with the same magnitude that they are speaking to me. And I pray that you don't put this off, because the Kingdom of God is at hand. It is right now. It is you and me.

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other."

Matthew 6:24

They'll know we are Christians By Our Love,

Signing off,

JD