Tamar Rebuilding
Canvas 36” x 42”
Time: Approx. 4 hours on October 11th, 2018
[Not For Sale]
Artist Statement
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28
Yvonne DeVaughn, the Director of the AVA (Advocacy for Victims of Abuse) ministry for the Evangelical Covenant Church, delivered the sermon dressed in middle Eastern garb and said, “I am Tamar.” [Tamar was the daughter of King David, and sister of Absalom. In 2 Samuel 13, Tamar is raped by her half-brother Amnon. King David does not defend Tamar’s honor, so finally Absalom kills Amnon one year later.] Yvonne poinently told of her own struggle to overcome sexual abuse which persisted throughout childhood until she was seventeen. Yvonne's and Tamar’s stories are both gut wrenching. The painting depicts Yvonne's [and a possibly Tamar’s story as well] heroic journey of rebuilding their lives through faith. The belief that, no matter how we are harmed in this fallen world, God has never stopped loving us and has promised to work disasters in our life for our good. Yvonne is able to move the large stone blocks into place by trusting Jesus even in the midst of her pain, knowing how Jesus suffered for her, and receiving His strength and comfort. Yvonne then called upon those who have been harmed, and those who have harmed others, to allow God to heal them, and called upon everyone to join with Christ in the rebuilding of his family through ACTION as GOOD SAMARITANS! Yvonne’s life is a GOSPEL account; her transformation, told through her art, music, and advocacy, are living proof of Jesus’s life in Yvonne, which continues to inspire hurting people to seek and find healing in Jesus.