FROM THE ARTIST | LAUREN WRIGHT PITTMAN
We all desire peace and security for ourselves, our families, and
our communities. It seems, however, we often disagree about how
to achieve peace and security, and about who is deserving of such
well-being. Often, those who have realized even a baseline sense of
peace and security quickly forget what it was like to be without. Fear
creeps in and we separate ourselves with walls and isolate ourselves
within towers. We worship and exist with people like us because it
feels safe. We hoard peace and security as though they are finite
resources, and elevate our own peace and security above that of
other nations. We pray for ourselves, even if our answered prayers
result in our neighbor’s harm. This self-focused, defensive ideology
is becoming increasingly pervasive in the United States, and it’s
finding strongholds in other countries too. Powerful people appeal
to this inward-turning gaze, stoking fears and encouraging division.
This text celebrates refuge. As we know well from the news and the
growing volatility at our borders, there are many who have become
refugees—those seeking security and peace—while those within their
walls and towers seek the good of themselves.
When I began to paint this piece, I kept wondering how walls and
peace can coexist, but if I’m honest, if true shalom were to be
realized, there would be no need for walls or towers. For me, peace
looks like open doors leading out of the confinement of stone walls
and into a field of poppies. For me, peace looks like flowers scaling
walls, weakening the strength of stone foundations, and over time,
bringing the barriers down. Peace looks like open arms—open to
the difficult work of welcoming peace, and open to receiving the
boundless gifts of a truly peaceful world.
Prayer: Breathe deeply as you gaze upon the image below. Imagine
placing yourself in this scene. What do you see? How do you feel?
Get quiet and still, offering a silent or spoken prayer to God.
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