The weeks since I last wrote have as ever been filled with
the respective peaks and troughs but sometimes, when fatigued those troughs can
feel all the more deeper…and who wants to end up as pig feed anyway? Although
in modern times it might not be fashionable to talk about spiritual attack or
to point out that guess what, sometimes,
rubbish things continue happening to decent people, for no particular
reason, it is an uncomfortable truth. Furthermore, to not mention it would be
dishonest and not truly reflect that this JC business requires a lot of stamina
as even His victory was marked on a road of incomparable suffering. Mediaeval
writers may have dwelled at length on this concept a little too much – one only
has to have a look at some of the art and masonry on cathedrals from that time
to see they were big on it, but spiritual fatigue, compounded by attack is a
powerful tool used against the faithful.
In difficult times it always pays to go back to biblical
basics. I decided after a long hiatus of not really helping to sign up as an
Alpha Helper at the Alpha Course at HTB. Meeting people, at various stages of
their walk has allowed me the opportunity to once more articulate and
interrogate what it is that I believe and why I do in the first place. There is
no room for ‘solipsism gone crazy’ styles and fashions where the cult of me is
assuaged by others mid cupcake full and a
group of strangers listen politely during debates that range from Who
Jesus Is to the Problem of Evil. In my own private time I have read the Psalms cover to cover and with one particular
passage pleaded with the Lord to prove it:
“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his
favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may last for the night, but rejoicing comes in
the morning.” Psalm 30:5
Spiritual attack works via isolating the individual from all
that is true and distorting a situation to feel insurmountable. I was helped
out of my particular mire by a friend who out of the blue invited me to join
him at last week’s Frieze Art Fair. One – nil to JC, I was NOT alone and again
I was reminded of another verse:
“A friend loves at all
times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.” Proverbs 17:17
But the best was yet to come; amidst the amazing contemporary
art, directional outfits and the delicious salted caramel and bitter chocolate
tarts we enjoyed in the VIP hospitality (2 –nil to JC abundance to boot!), I
was blown away by the work of William Edmondson. A self-taught sculptor, who
began his craft based on a divine calling he believed he had received from the
Lord, his faith in the small things led to him being the first African-American
to have a solo show at the MOMA New York in 1937. However, this was not a neat
happy ever after story. For beyond that
show, his work never realised its true financial value in his lifetime and he
died and was buried in an unmarked grave. But here was the thing, half a
century or more later and his work was inspiring another Christo artist, to dig
deep and stick to the calling. To the world his story might seem one of failed
possibilities, but it has all the hallmarks of a true believer: steadfastness,
long-suffering and a heartfelt conviction to hold strong to what he knew to be
true. Attacks will come and go, but the Lord lasts forever, and he will provide
you with pit-stops and inspiration to keep you going along the way.
