The Spiritual Desert

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Many of us find ourselves in a spiritual desert from time to time. This piece came about after a conversation with a friend of mine who was struggling. He was not in a the desert so to speak, but he was a bit overwhelmed and frustrated with his responsibilities as a husband and father and he was sharing those feelings with me. So this images genesis was that conversation and then it took on a life of its own – more based on my spiritual struggles and frustration than his. The desert is a tough place to be… there used to be water there but now there is nothing but warfare and thirst and our legs and progress are mired in hip deep quick sand. All we can do is cry out and seek freedom and revelation.

Scripture: “Do not withhold your mercy from me, O LORD; may your love and your truth always protect me. For troubles without number surround me; my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see. They are more than the hairs of my head, and my heart fails within me. Be pleased, O LORD, to save me; O LORD, come quickly to help me.” Psalm 40: 11-13

This image was another exercise in adjustment layers… putting into practice what I learned while doing The Compromised Church. My initial idea was to use brush stroked lines, another technique I have been experimenting with, to simulate tentacles or vines ensnaring the figure. I threw that idea out as the desert imagery took shape. They just were not needed.