Yup, this chicken was swimming along just fine until he was informed of his identity! Which reminds me of all the identities that others have given me. At some point the decision has to be made to just go for it, regardless of what others say. There was Moses: “Aren’t you just a murderer?” There was Deborah: “Aren’t you just a woman?” There was David: “Aren’t you just a shepherd boy?” There was Amos: “Aren’t you just a gardener?” There was Jesus: “Aren’t you just from Nazareth?” There were the disciples: “Aren’t you unlearned men?” There was Paul: “Aren’t you just a Christian-killer?” There was Peter: “Aren’t you just a man who denied Jesus?” I could go on. If I accepted and submitted to all the identities and labels that others have tried to stick me with, I would surrender and sink just like this chicken. But I intend to get along swimmingly, whether I cluck or quack.
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David Hayward is an artist trapped in a pastor's body, stripping to the essential.
The devil’s tool, “Didn’t God just say …” “Aren’t you just a sinner?”
Doubt. That is his stock in trade.
Hmm, by “surrender and sink” do you mean the chicken dies? I have been called some pretty harsh things but I would never kill myself over it. I have however hibernated for a season or two. I mean sometimes you need to just say no, stay home, reflect and refresh. Then and only then can one go back out into the big, bad world and face the criticism yet again.
i LOVE it! crossing boundaries and property lines, that’s Christianity!
I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. For years, the Muscovy ducks would leave their eggs shortly before hatching, leaving them to die. One year, we watched and waited with the eggs in the sun. Finally after a couple of hours, we picked up the eggs and put them under a setting hen. In a couple of weeks she hatched out a dozen chickens and half a dozen ducks. I remember following them around as she showed them the tasks of life, how to walk, what to eat, etc. Finally she took them to our pond to show them how to drink, Mother hen took a drink, all the little ones took a drink and the half dozen ducklings started swimming. Mother hen was freaked. How could they, why would they? This coming Sundays lesson from Mark 1:40-45, how could Jesus cross that boundary humanity had so carefully put in place? May your son come out of his septic shock with wholeness and healing, physically, socially, and spiritually in a way that takes you, and all of your friends, on a spiritual journey into our baptismal waters.
Love it! We are never short on excuses for why we shouldn’t step into our God-created identity and purpose. On an unrelated note, how do you get your cartoons on your blog so clean? Do you draw them and somehow scan them into Adobe? Do you create them in a computer program? I’m curious.
My method of drawing is simple: I draw the cartoon on plain white paper with a fine point black drawing pen. Then I scan it with my canon scanner. Software came with the scanner called “Photostudio”, which is a free simple kind of photoshop software. I do all the manipulation in that program, including the text. Then I upload it to my blog. Simple.
David, the timing of this is great. Just yesterday I was telling some friends that I had this incredible thing finally sink into my heart: That I cannot let anyone define me other than God, not even MYSELF! Your drawings say it ever so much better than my words ever could. Thanks again for having that timely word.
Love the post, David, and have linked to it from my blog. So many people are limited by what others have said to them
David
With a mind like yours I dont think it would be possible to label you.
rene decartes walked into a bar and sat down. bartender walks over and asks, ‘can i get you anything?’ decartes says, ‘i think not’. and then he disappeared.
LOVED this one! So true. Sometimes I could just scream because people won’t see me like God sees me…until I realize, I don’t get them, either. When will we start seeing the past the obvious and set people free?? I am the worst!