read // JEREMIAH 29:1-7
from the artist // LAUREN WRIGHT PITTMAN
I moved to a new state. As I write, I’m living out of boxes, the
trunk of my car, and a storage unit. It’s a jarring experience
to move, even when it’s a conscious choice. I’ve found
myself in a place that resembles almost nothing like what
I’d envisioned for my life. I left a city burgeoning with
opportunities and culture; now I’m in a small town where
I’d be thrilled to find one decent, local coffee shop. I’m
beginning to realize visions about the future I wasn’t even
aware of. These unrealized dreams took root in my being in a
way that feels defining to who I am.
Something happens deep in our core when we feel out of
place. The day I moved my immune system failed and I became
sick and disoriented. The Israelites were forced into exile,
ripped from their homes, places of worship, and way of life.
They find themselves in Babylon where they dream of the
day they’d return to where they belong. Jeremiah’s words are
comforting, yet painful. They are told to stay, plant gardens,
and allow their families to flourish in this strange land. I’m
sure this was disappointing, but when you hold onto the past,
you miss the richness of the present. "Seek the welfare of
the city where I have sent you” (Jer. 29:7). Maybe when our
lives unravel in transition, the loose ends of our dreams, the
friends we leave behind, and the paths untraveled can become
the roots that stabilize us in the new place where we find
ourselves. These threads can create grounding that nourishes
and transforms us into something new. This new place can be
a gift—a place of flourishing and a conduit for deep, authentic
connection with self and community.
RESPOND: Look
Take a few moments to gaze upon the artwork. Breathe
deeply in quiet meditation as you observe the visual
qualities of what you see: color, line, texture, movement,
shape, form.
Now take a deeper look. What parts of the image are your
eyes most drawn to? What parts of the image did you
overlook?
Now engage your imagination. What story do you imagine
for each of the figures?
reflect
- What has unraveled and/or is unraveling in this story?
- What kinds of dreams need to die in order for your
community to prosper?
- Where do you see social exile occuring in your
own city? What communities have been uprooted,
disempowered, and marginalized? What does it
look like to garden—literally and metaphorically—in these spaces?
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