A Family of God

A Family by Uok Jin Jang (1917-1990)

A few days ago, one of my friends in Korea sent me an email message. In it, I found a little picture of an oil painting called  A Family by UJ Jang. This art work intrigued me because of its simplicity. So I was able to spend little time to read about him. And I learned that UJ was a Korean modern artist, a 20th century minimalist. No wonder why it looks so simple..

However, this simple painting tells me a lot about family or maybe about the most critical core value of it - the people who are in the same boat traveling together through the sunny days or stormy days. Even though their eyes were temporarily fixed toward different directions from that little boat around them, they will arrive at their final destination all together. That is the family!

I saw a cow standing on the one side of the boat. And also I saw a man carrying a small backpack right next to it; a girl carrying a little hen in her arms right next to him; a lady carrying a big luggage on her head right next to her; and a little boy carrying his bicycle with him right next to her. And of course, there was a boatman who was taking them to their destination safely. I like what he holds. The key!

Some things are just passing through their life as their temporary interests around them; however, some things are what God has given each of them for their own life on earth. Christians call it gifts or talents or charisma. 

Where are they looking at? What do they carry? And where are they going?

"how God proves to people that they are like animals. 

For people and animals share the same fate. 

Both breathe and both must die." (Ecclesiastes 3)

Some years ago, a King Solomon shared his wisdom with us through his writing, the wisdom that God wants us to have. It sounds very simple but quite strange because it says we need to realize that we are not much different from animals whatever we do or whoever we are! Why? Because we will all die someday like those animals. In that sense, we are all one family in front of this human reality and we are all in the same boat.

Now I am pondering “where I am looking at” and “where I am going”. My answer is not very hard. "Like animals....".

However, as I begin to fix my eyes on the cross where the way, the truth and the life was, I realize that our destination is the Kingdom of God eternal and Jesus is standing right next us steering the boat. 

Amazing Grace! But without it, I might not be able to find the cross. 
Amazing Grace! But without it, I might not be able to fix my eyes on it. 
Amazing Grace! But without it, I might not be able to go beyond the human reality. 
Amazing Grace! But without it, we might not be able to be called as a family of God!

Can we just want to give thanks to God with joy forever? Can we just want to kneel down before God bowing our heads surrendering all? Can we just want to raise our voices and sing praises to God lifting our arms opening high?

Snow was coming and softly covering the outside through the night again. And I begin my new day singing “Whiter than snow....”

A Family sung by LA Men's Mission Choir with their wives one year