So I went to the Kelowna Art Gallery today. I’ll admit I’m not the biggest fan of modern art, its deeper meaning has a tendency to escape me. Today, however, I had an interesting revelation.
I wish I’d taken pictures of this particular exhibit, it would be so much easier to describe, but I’ll try my best anyway. There were all kinds of white clothes of different styles and sizes and shapes sewn together in a massive canopy hanging about 12 feet above the floor. The lights from the ceiling above shone through the white material, making the canopy semi-transparent. Pillows lay on the floor below, giving a perfect spot to lay down and gaze at the canopy above.
As I was lying on those oh-so-comfy pillows, an interesting comparison came to mind. I thought of the fall of man, and how Adam and Eve fashioned clothes out of leaves when their eyes were opened to their nakedness. They felt shame for the first time, and clothing themselves covered their shame. The fact that the clothing I gazed at was white also resonated with me, as white has always been associated with purity and perfection.
I came to the conclusion that as humans, we make mistakes and we have deep imperfections. We try to cover ourselves with fabricated perfection (no pun intended), and we present an image that seems unblemished to the rest of the world. However, when God’s light shines on us, our lily-white facade becomes transparent, and He sees through to our deepest blemishes and insecurities.
I suppose this resonated with me particularly because I have always struggled with appearing to be better or stronger or more put-together than I feel inside. In a way, there’s a comfort in knowing that God sees it all, regardless of my attempts to cover it up in shame, but He doesn’t love me any less because of it.
Trigeminal Headache 