2004 70cm x 55cm textured acrylic
This painting was quite a journey for me. The vision of it flashed into my mind in 1983. I could see the brush strokes, the colours and every detail of how it should look, although in my “vision” the painting was animated. On one side there was a crowd rising towards the light, the people were celebrating and there was so much joy. On the other side, the dark side, there was deep gloom and grief coming from the crowd standing in the shadows. Words of anguish came from them “You were right all along”. I filed this away in my memory as I didn’t know what I was to do with this information. I hadn’t painted for years and it seemed an impossible task for me to put the vision on canvas.
Then in 2003 at a Prayer Retreat I felt the Lord prompting me to paint the picture.
This was a real journey of faith and trust for me. I had to make myself pick up the paintbrush and allow the Lord to direct me in this painting, as I knew I had never attempted anything like this before.
When the painting was completed in 2004, I asked the Lord “What should I call the painting?” I had always called it “Left Behind” but I knew that was not the name for it. I was then given the answer that it was to be called “Today? Perhaps?” Then I asked, “Lord, what do I do with it? Should I put it in a cupboard, hang it in my study?” Back came the challenge about the unfaithful servant who hid the talents in the ground. (Matthew 25:15-30). So out of this I sensed that I was to offer it to be hung at my church at that time in Dural.
My prayer is that this painting will always challenge us to live each day as though Jesus’ return could happen at any moment (today? perhaps?) and that we will always be faithful to our call to bring others into His Kingdom, so that no one will be left behind.
1 Thessalonians: (The Message)
4:16-18 “The Master himself will give the command. Archangel thunder! God’s trumpet blast! He’ll come down from heaven and the dead in Christ will rise – they’ll go first. Then the rest of us who are still alive at the time will be caught up with them into the clouds to meet the Master. Oh, we’ll be walking on air! And then there will be one huge family reunion with the Master. So reassure one another with these words . . .”
5 : 11 “. . . Build up hope so you’ll all be together in this, no one left out, no one left behind.”