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December 9 I met Vera this afternoon at the most unsuspecting of places, not far from the Old Town square. When I arrived, I was skeptical that this shop might have, as she said, “Christmas pictures from Revelation that will move you.” As we made our way through the cramped quarters of this eclectic art store, Vera proclaimed, “there’s the first picture.”
At first glance all I saw was a strange looking pregnant woman who appeared to be very uncomfortable. Of course, I’ve never been pregnant but I understand pregnancy can be a real pain. In addition to the pain of giving birth, there’s the very real pain that comes with being pregnant — a growing body, back aches, and lack of sleep. But the closer and longer I looked at this picture, the more I saw that this pregnant woman was beaming with light. After all, she was clothed with the sun, with twelve crowns on her head and the moon at her feet. And she gave me hope! I suppose that is not so surprising for women who are pregnant are one of the most hopeful pictures in our world today. Pregnancy has a way of stirring up magnanimous dreams — especially that this child-to-be might be someone great. Vera kept asking me what I thought. As I looked closer at this hurting but hopeful woman, I told her how I was reminded that pain and hope often go together in life. In fact, looking at this picture reminded me of how hope is often born out of pain. No, I don’t like pain (who does?) but somehow in looking at this picture, a voice within me seemed to be saying, Have hope. I am with you as you grapple with pain in your soul. |
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