© Kerry M. Pierce
I’m focusing on the smaller circles at the left and right of the image. Click the image to see all of it.
The first reading of this portion of the image is very close to the text in verses 1 and 2:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters
We see a left hand and a right hand. The windows into the hands show a rod and a staff, the tools of a shepherd. On the left side of the image, the hand reaches in to lead the individual to a green pasture. On the right side of the image, the other hand reaches in to lead the individual to generally blue, still waters.
The second reading of the image goes deeper. The individual on the right has a scallop shell in his head. This is strange. The right portion of the image speaks to becoming regenerate. When I first became regenerate, or born-again I had an insatiable desire to read Scripture. The Holy Spirit led me down that path. I read the Bible and Bible commentaries with great hunger. I chewed on the material. I wrestled with it, and I drew mandalas along the way.
Over time what I was reading in Scripture made its way into my heart, that part of me that affects my behavior. My SPMs (Sins per Minute) dropped. Reading Scripture was making me more Christ-like. Drawing the mandalas accelerated the process, enabling me to integrate Scripture more quickly.
That nudge to read Scripture led me down the path of righteousness. My belief in the work that Christ did for me and my growing faith restores my soul.
In part 6 we will look at the table that has been prepared for us.