The Path Through
Date: January 12th, 2025
Canvas: 24” x 30”
Cost: $500
Mike Chong Perkinson, author of the book, Radically Living, Quietly Dying, gave a message on going to the promised land only to be stopped by the giants. The giants are obstacles like fear, shame, and doubt, which are driven by loss of some kind. Mike talked about the typical Christian strategies to get around giants: 1) ‘going over’ them with hyper-optimism, 2) ‘going under’ them with gloomy religion. Neither works. Then, there is a third way: the path ‘through’ the giants. This is the path Caleb chooses. On his mission with 11 other spies he observes physical giants occupying the land, yet simultaneously recognizes that God is good, infinite, and faithful to back them up–so the giants look small to Caleb. [Unfortunately, Israel ignores Caleb and chooses path #2, instead, only to wander in the desert for 40 years.]
For the image, I got a view of Caleb standing strong to face the giants with the Jordan river just beyond, and the promised land out on the horizon. He draws his sword (the sword of truth) then goes to work destroying the giants, and taking the promised land. And, for the rest of his life, Caleb will continue fighting to protect and cultivate the land. As for me, my inner coward wishes for an easy life on a beach as my promised land, but the real treasure comes when, with Jesus’ strength, I face something hard…like when I fought through the giant of depression. And, I continue fighting daily to hold the land.
And Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, “Let's go up and take the land–now. We can do it.” –Numbers 13:30