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| Thursday, August 14, 2008
Reaching Through Art Writer : Ronald WongI'm sharing this little anecdote so that it may encourage us, who often wonder where our God-given gifts of music, art, writing or other such 'creative-type' gifts is placed in His whole scheme of things. An ex-schoolmate and friend of mine, Li Zhen, almost caused my death recently. This was what happened: I dropped her a message on MSN and asked how she was doing. She replied with the usual great-thank-yous and quite swiftly after that, she said, "I accepted Christ recently."I was so shocked I fell off my chair, and hence my near-death. After praising God and singing hallelujah for some time, I finally regained my composure (and balance) and asked her further about how it happened, where she was being ministered at etc. I could almost hear the angels choir above resounding in my ears. This girl that was talking to me about Christ was probably one of the last few agnostics I would ever expect to see accept Christ. She was a dilligent, intelligent girl who had and got everything she wanted - the last thing she'd need, I had presumed, was God. I wondered what it was that sowed the seed and then, she answered my question as though she knew what I was thinking. You see, both of us were/are 'fans' of Corrinne May - well, she's more the fan, while I'm the yeah-I-like-it-but-not-gonna-get-too-crazy kind. And as she continued, I realised that it were the Corrinne May's songs that probably did have much impact on her! Back then when Li Zhen was a stoic agnostic, she would always be visibly moved by the sincere lyrics and heartfelt singing of Corrinne May. As she continued to listen to her music, she began to understand that Corrinne May was not singing the usual romantic love songs but singing of her frailty, her mortality, her weaknesses, her desperation and her insufficiency. Yet, more importantly, she sang of her hope, her dependence and her faith in her God, our Lord. In my mind, I could see Li Zhen listening to the songs in the quiet of her room in the evenings, wondering how in spite of her adequacy in everything she has, there was still a missing piece in the jigsaw puzzle. And I am reminded of one of Corrinne May's songs, "All That I Need". When no one far from perfect Like a child that needs a guiding hand Can you stay here with me I finally understand You've always been the missing part Complete the jigsaw puzzle of my heart Please hear me when i say You are all that I need The only treasure I see You're the air that helps me breathe through the darkest night When I fall down on my knees I was blind but now I see You are all that I need I could imagine how Li Zhen pondered upon these words, marvelling at how the singer bared her soul for the world to hear about how she falls on to her knees before someone who could be the air that helps her breath and healed her of her blindness. And I praise God for speaking to my friend, Li Zhen, in this manner. Of course, many other events and persons must have been played a role in drawing her to God (and I do hope I have been one of them!), but she herself counts the moving music of Corrinne May as one of them. This is not new, really. God has used artists, writers, poets and musicians to speak to people across all ages. In the early 1970s, a spiritual revival occurred among the intellectual elite in the religiously-repressive USSR. Anatoli Kuznetsov was asked how this was possible, to which he replied, "the authorities had forgot to suppress the works of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky, the most perfect expositions of the Christian faith of modern times." Today, orchestras worldwide are playing Bach's beautiful pieces which were written as offerings to our Lord, and people continue to appreciate the beauty of it. Rembrandt's painting of "The Prodigal" moved Henri Nouwen so deeply that he wrote a book on it, charting his own spiritual journey. Scripture is filled with God-fearing men who were writers, artists and musicians and made use of their gifts for God's glorification. Jesus Himself was a thespian! Read John 8:3-11, and notice how Jesus artfully wrote in the sand silently, irritating the crowd, then standing up to say ten words, and then returning to His scribbling in the sand; and He made His point so powerfully! (For more on this, read Scribbling In The Sand by Michael Card.) Think then, how God has used all these works of art to speak to people, including my friend, Li Zhen! Isn't it wonderful to know that our creative endeavours are able to be used as mediums by which God can speak to people? Isn't it more wonderful to appreciate how our Lord is able to use even the briefest and simplest of performances like the scribbling in the sand to shout at His children? Truly amazing.
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