Pearls from Heaven

When I was painting this artwork, Pearls from Heaven, I was considering many ideas, one of was the Israelites plight in the desert and the manna from heaven provided by God. I, however, wished to turn it on its head and consider a more contemporary vision. In the developed world we are so very rich in many senses of the word. Whilst there is food banks here in the UK and poverty also across the world, I was concerned more of the poverty of family. I found myself concerned with children, parents and babies; pearls represent the treasure of loved ones. I found myself thinking about my own family members. Flowers and snow and manna and pearls and children and pineapple (for some reason!) and jewels and flowers and plants and love and joy and peace. All these wonderful things that enrich our souls, hearts and minds. ‘Eternity is written on the hearts of all men and women’; we seek it in ourselves and we see it in others.

The trouble with the desert, and I’m no theologian, is that they could not go back, though at times they wanted to, neither could they reach their destination. They wandered about for forty years. Whilst I’m sure it was a large desert and looked much the same when moving here and there, it seems like they might have been a bit lost in many senses and in need of decent navigation. I am sure there are scholars rich in the knowledge of why it came to play out that way. Then we look at our lives today and we consider what enriches our lives, what is it? What is it that anchors us and guides us? The Israelites that left Egypt never made it, but their offspring did. Moses never got to cross over, but Joshua did. When will there be a Joshua moment, crossing over, and leading everyone with him? But Joshua wasn’t alone, he sent the spies ahead of them. God dried the Jordan river so they could cross safely and then they set up stones to show Gods power to all people and to show what he had done.

I often think of my life in moments and I look at the world and I know my place within it. ‘Who am I’ is not a question I struggle with. I am a person relatable to anyone I meet, to my parents I am a daughter, to my siblings a sister and to my children a mother. I looked at my life and I said ‘what should I do?’ And the reply was ‘you know, so go do it’. As it is I am certain I did not know, but I still went and did my best with the gifts God has given me. Waiting during major life moments is wise, but sometimes taking action works too.