I have watched a program or two about avalanches. The footage I recall followed an avalanche down the side of a mountain, toppling trees, crashing into boulders, and raining down a cloud of snow spray and debris on everything in its path. Some avalanches are triggered by naturally occurring events in nature that may seem to come out of nowhere, while others are triggered by inorganic man-made events. Regardless of its origin, there isn’t much likelihood of escape if you are caught in its path. You can’t outrun or outmaneuver it. Your best bet is to seek some sort of cover and pray that somehow, someone will be able to rescue you!
Living in this time and place on planet Earth can be challenging. The avalanche of information we have access to, reporting the magnitude of worldwide pandemics, wars, and rumors of wars, natural disasters, and the poor choices of world leaders that affect our economy and freedoms can at times feel as if we are standing in the path of a cascading avalanche, with nowhere to run, hide or escape.
We can see the devastation and destruction taking place, further up the mountain, as the trees and boulders that seemed invincible are decimated, our mounting fear escalates as we speculate, “If they didn’t survive, I don’t stand a chance!”
How do we find peace? We focus on what we know. There isn’t anything happening today that wasn’t prophecied would come to pass. While we didn’t get an emergency alert on our phones, that things are about to go south, we have been given enough time and enough warning that they would. The peace comes from knowing that we have been given the ability to hear with our spiritual ears the subtle sometimes undetectable seismic disturbances under the earth that tell us the avalanche is inevitable. We have also been given tools to prepare, so that we may spiritually survive, even if we can’t get off the mountain in time.
Some of our friends and loved ones will need to be rescued. It will take the efforts of many to dig them out. You may be the one who has or will succumb to the suffocating weight of the frozen snow, surviving only because of a small air pocket enabling you to breathe. Don’t give up! Please know, there are many on both sides of heaven and earth who will not spare any effort or resource to save you. We are all residents on the mountain and are in this together.
You are not alone! We have you and God has us. He is the one directing the rescue efforts and will ultimately lead us where you are and where to dig. He is the one, giving us the strength to remove one more shovel of snow, to eliminate the crushing weight of discouragement, hopelessness, and despair. And ultimately, it is His hand that will reach into the abyss and pull you free and safely into the light.
AVALANCHE is comprised of a wireframe and batten substrate. It is covered with plaster and gypsum. The cactus skeleton at the top represents the possibility of spiritual death. The composition is in the shape of an avalanche with light being visible from within. This represents the love of God that will ultimately redeem and rescue us.
Enjoy!