Today’s Advent Art-Meditation is from Zephaniah 3: 14-17
Zephaniah is a short book in the bible in which the prophet is warning Jerusalem (yet again) that there will be destruction because of their return to pagan practices and away from God. But he promises there will be a remnant of humble believers who will rebuild after the razing. He tells them at that time there will be no more fear and that the Lord will be among them, “singing joyfully because of them.”
Milagro Heart Trinity
God’s relationship with the Jews is a lot like a long-term marriage. If you’re newly-married, you might not believe me. But if you’ve been in a relationship for 10 years or more, you’ll know what I mean. The Jewish people endlessly swing from loving God, to thinking He might be ignoring them, to turning away from Him and trying to solve all their own problems themselves, and finally rediscovering God was there all along with a Love that stands the test of time. In marriage terms, these four stages are called Romance, Disillusionment, Misery and Awakening.
It’s good to be aware of these natural stages of a relationship because we live in a world that preaches the first stage of Romance as all there is to love. When we hit the wall of stage 2 and 3, we sometimes believe the answer is to flee back to stage 1 and start all over with someone new. Don’t believe it…if you’ve committed your life to someone, try and navigate your way to stage 4: Awakening. It’s hard and you might get burned. You may both have to decide to wander through the desert to get there. You might need to ask for directions. But on the other side is where true love lives, the Promised Land.
Life is hard. Marriage is hard. The one thing you should know is that you’re not alone. If you find yourself in that desert of pain so vast and lonely that there are no words, the devil tries to make you believe no one could ever know how you feel. I know. I’ve been there. But Jesus says He is the vine and we are the branches. That means we are all connected and it’s in our best interest to reach out and support each other. A healthy vine produces the choice wine. No matter what you go through, whether it’s an addiction, a death of a loved one, abuse or a difficult marriage, there ARE others who have suffered like you have and who understand your pain. Don’t let people tell you there aren’t. Don’t tell yourself their aren’t. You just need to find them and that might mean stepping out of your shame and blame and trusting someone of good will. When you do, you will begin to heal…and God will “renew you in His love, singing joyfully because of you”.
Today’s art is a trinity of milagro hearts. “Milagro” is Spanish for miracle, and the heart with a burning flame is a popular Hispanic icon. It signifies undying love. In this case, I have created one to represent a man, one a woman, and the third with the crown of thorns is for Christ.
You can purchase this artwork here.
*****
If your marriage is troubled and you don’t know where to turn, consider attending the Retrouvaille program, available worldwide. You do not have to be Catholic, Christian or any faith to go. It’s cheaper than therapy, and Milagros, or Miracles, happen through this program all the time. Click here to find out more.
