“Where Are You, God?” mixed media, Marcia Carole
Of the three pieces I had on display at my current church, this one sparked the most conversation. I was vulnerable and transparent with this one. We had pieces up in response to the book of Daniel – a man of God in captivity, completely faithful to God. I had made the above piece in response to my difficult, painful, chemo treatments – my own captivity, of sorts. On my darkest days, when I had to crawl to the bathroom because my flesh was too heavy for me to carry, I felt like I had fallen into a dark hole, alone and apart from God. I portrayed that feeling with a little bird in a dark space.
Several stopped to tell me part of their story as they were looking at this piece, and at the above particular “page” of the bird in the hole. It touched them in their place of suffering. One woman recounted that she once had to crawl to the bathroom because she had no energy to stand – even though she had not had chemo. Another woman shared she still couldn’t sense God’s presence. “I’m in that dark hole.” My heart ached for her; I get that. We know He is there intellectually, but don’t feel His “skin.” (I share with her, “I must stay close to the cross and preach the Gospel to myself every day to keep myself close to Him. I’ve learned He is there every day, even though some days I don’t sense Him at all.”) We hug.
The art created a space for deep conversation, vulnerability and sharing. Art truly does make visible the invisible in a safe, healing way.
The above art was created meditating on this passage of Scripture:
“But if I go to the east, he is not there;
if I go to the west, I do not find him.
9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him;
when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. Job 23:8-10
