Monday Reflections: ISBN

“The more I paint, the more I like everything.”

Jean-Michel Basquiat 

We are made of layers. Our experiences and memories create layers within. UMCom photo by Kay Panovec

One of the places where I find renewal is the art museum. It is hard to explain, but when I connect with a painting, my heart and mind travel to places beyond my thoughts. I like to study the authors’ technique, the colors they use and their way of defining shapes. I also like to immerse myself in the story they are trying to tell. Sometimes the stories are narrative. Sometimes they are abstract stories meant to elicit feelings more than thoughts.

I am fortunate to live near a small art museum in Omaha, Nebraska. Last time I visited, I discovered a painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat. The title is ISBN. Common themes in his work are critiques of oppression and excess. In ISBN, he uses a collage technique that resembles the layering of memories and experiences. The work is both fragmented and cohesive.

We are made of layers. Our experiences and memories create layers within. Sometimes these layers seem contradictory. But they make the fabric of who we are.

Psalm 139 is one of the most layered songs in the Bible. It also contains one of its most problematic verses. The author is grieving over the destruction of his homeland and the genocide of his people. At the end he sings for the same to be done to his oppressors. One of the earlier verses sings,

“Jerusalem! If I forget you, 
    let my strong hand wither! 
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth 
    if I don’t remember you, 
    if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.” 

Layers upon layers. At this point in his life, the psalmist was layered in grief, longing and anger. And yet, amid the pain, remembering brought him hope and a semblance of joy. Anger and hope. Grief and joy. Layers upon layers.

We are layered people. We work with layered people. Our experiences and memories make of us a cohesive canvas of seemingly contradictory feelings. This is who we are. And that is ok. Regardless of how we feel, we are loved. God loves us in our grief and our joy, in our anger and our hope. Always remember that nothing can separate you from that love.

You are loved.

Prayer
God, sometimes I do not fully understand the layers that make me who I am. Thank you for not making me peel any of them to know that you love me. Amen.