Yesterday, I stumbled across this little gem of a verse in Isaiah:
Gather together, come, draw near, all you survivors of all nations. Come forward and urge your case, consult together.
ISAIAH 45 : 20-21
Firstly, it was the term “survivors” that struck me and immediately brought to mind the victims and survivors of abuse, and so that lens if you like has coloured the rest of my reading of this passage as it seems particularly relevant to today’s society. The second was “of all nations“. Abuse and the misuse of power are issues that occur in pretty much every religion, every political system and every country in the world. In short, wherever there are people there is the potential for a misuse of power. Some systems seem to invite it, others are designed to guard against it, but the misuse of power is a concern for all nations.
The unity and oneness inherent in that little phrase reminded me though that we are not alone, and that it is our human experience that unites us. Regardless of colour or creed or nationality or political party these are issues that we all face in one form or another, and given our shared humanity we all suffer and experience distress when subjected to mistreatment. I wanted in some way to encapsulate this universal truth in my creative contemplation of the verse and so chose to use a mandala stencil as my starting point in the center of the page.
As we learn more and more about recovery from abuse and other traumatic experiences victims/survivors are finding healing as they “gather together” in support groups where others have experienced similar things. Communities where they can find empathy, compassion, support and understanding.
We are also increasingly beginning to recognise the importance of creating safe ways for victims and survivors to “Come forward” and speak up. Given the context “Urge your case” seems to be encouraging survivors to state their point of view, to speak their uncomfortable truths. It says: Your voice is important too, and in so doing it says: You are important too.
“Gather together, come, draw near, all you survivors of all nations. Come forward and urge your case, consult together”.
ISAIAH 45 : 20-21
You can view the full image and read about the creative decisions and process over at An Artist’s Response…
If you live in the UK and have been affected by the content of this post you can find confidential support and a compassionate ear at VictimSupport or if your experiences are church related: Safe Spaces.
joy & a thankful heart 