Everything is Illuminated

This is my photographic response to an exhibition of light and colour that we saw today at the World museum in Liverpool. Taken in the museum cafe, I was captivated by the way the light from the windows had elegantly bathed this fellow so that it seemed as if his text was illuminated, an everyday revelation in a busy city cafe.

It ties in with my own current quest for truth - I'm reading two books at the moment to try and firm up my own philosophy when it comes to the God portrayed in the Old Testament. They're books which each have a slightly different reasoning and interpretation of the genocide carried out by the Israelites in the book of Joshua. I am a follower of Christ, I love his message of freedom, of binding up the broken hearted, of seeking justice and speaking up for those who can't speak for themselves. It rings true to me, however I have found that I am simply unable to just accept the slaughter of the Canaanites as a wilful act of a loving God. I have been wrestling with this mainly since giving birth. It is through becoming a mother that I have found a new depth of empathy for Mothers who are suffering, particularly those in war zones. To imagine those poor canaanite women, cradling their sweet little innocent babies as the Israelites stormed in through crumbling walls to murder, to slaughter. It's just horrific, and as my own understanding and knowledge of God has come through the person of Jesus, prince of Peace, it just doesn't fit to me. One of the books has the 'Your ways are higher than my ways' vibe, ie we are but tiny mites who can never fully understand. This doesn't hit the spot for me. The other book questions the way in which we read the scriptures, and asks how the book of Joshua was intended to be read by those who wrote it. It talks about the importance of myth in Hebrew culture in getting messages of deeper truth across. This is more digestible to my palette, but equally it is a controversial argument that many would consider wrong.

So here I am, being honest and open about where I'm at, and it feels a bit scary, but there it is. And my prayer is for illumination, for revelation, for understanding, and for peace. Sorry for going on a bit today, see you again tomorrow...