Rural America Matters Too

From time to time, a work of art can touch our soul. It examines us and provides a filter like a camera’s focused perspective. In this way, art captures a feeling or a truth, and makes it more relevant to our existence, as it invades our imagination. That’s the effect Georges Rouault’s paintings had on me when I discovered them. Who is this artist? How does his work speak today? First, I would like to present the man and his art, and then I’d like to take an apologetic look into one of the themes that moves me: the masks we wear. In this way, I hope to discuss what we hide from others, or even what we show, by talking about social media, lust, and eventually, resting in Jesus.

The Artist

Georges Rouault was born in 1871. His love for art came from his maternal grandfather and in 1890, he entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts where he became a pupil of Gustave Moreau.¹

More than a professor, Moreau was Rouault’s spiritual and artistic guide. In 1895, when Rouault’s work was vetoed at the Prix de Rome, Moreau advised him to leave the academy to paint independently. Later, Moreau wrote to him: “You like a serious art, sober and, in its essence, religious, and all that you do will be marked with this seal.”

After his mentor’s death, Georges Rouault turned toward a spirituality that transfused his work. At the Abbey of Ligugé, he joined a group of artists to create art sacré of such quality that it avoided superficial tendencies. An example of this period is “Madame X: J’irai droit au ciel, disait- elle avec une assurance douce et ferme” (Madame X: I will go straight to heaven, she said with gentle and firm assurance).² Rouault captures the lady’s austerity, her prayer-shaped hands under a judgmental glare.

As Rouault confided to Édouard Schuré: “I have the fault, (perhaps fault… in any case, it is an abyss of suffering for me…) of never leaving anyone’s spangled coat be he, king or emperor. The man I have in front of me, it is his soul that I want to see… and the bigger he is, the more he is humanly glorified, and the more I fear for his soul…”³

Rouault seemed to live in a struggle with faith and doubt. He survived two World Wars, experienced the joy of friendship and partnership that ended in seeing his works burned by bailiffs over an inheritance discrepancy.⁴ Rouault knew the depths of human depravity, and yet, he still believed. Writing to Father Regamey, he explained that “art is an ardent prayer.”⁵

While his work is not limited to religious art, it pushed back the traditional boundaries, as in “Le vieux roi” (The Old King),⁶ the wealth of Solomon is portrayed in vivid colors, holding a flower, his face is grimaced with exhaustion. In this, Georges Rouault paints the reality that only a believer can see: the multidimensionality of a fallen world. But these sober subjects also give place to gleams of grace like the engraving, “C’est par ses meurtrissures que nous sommes guéris” (By His Stripes, We Are Healed).⁷

The Parallel to Today’s Age

But to link Rouault’s work to our day, I’d like to turn to the clowns he painted. Why clowns? In “Qui ne se grime pas ?” (Who Doesn’t Wear Makeup ?),⁸ we have an answer in the suffering of a man who barely tries to hide his pain, and whose provocative question denounces us all.

Rouault tells us through his letter to Schuré where the inspiration comes from:

“This nomad’s carriage stopped on the road, the old stalwart horse that grazes the thin grass, the old clown sitting at the corner of his trailer mending his shiny and variegated coat, this contrast of shiny, scintillating things made for having fun and this life of infinite sadness… I saw clearly that the ‘Clown’ was me, it was us… almost all of us…”

Effectively, we all wear masks. We all at times draw attention to the center of what we want to show and hide what gnaws at the soul. Herein is our apologetic relevance, and by apologetic, I take Yannick Imbert’s definition: “The demonstration in words and in deeds of the Christian worldview or philosophy over and against all forms of non-Christian worldview or philosophies.”

Wearing a mask is nothing new, but Rouault exposed a human flaw. What are the masks of our day? The types of masks that mark our times can be synthetic like social media, which is used as a projection of who we want to be and what we choose to show to the world. The mask becomes a post, a picture, a live feed or even a comment. The moment we enter the stage of the public world, we send a message that highlights something we wish to show. There is an effervescent community essence to it when all goes well. It feels good to receive accolades, to share a moment, and there is comfort in aligning ourselves with others who have similar interests.

But in the worst cases, these same internet masks can become harmful like cyber bullying or promulgating false information. Though I’m talking about our social networks like Facebook, Instagram, etc., I am in no way campaigning against them. They are just a conduit for communication, but one that reveals deeper issues brought up by Rouault like the spiritual condition of the human heart. One example is the constant comparison to others that can induce “a state of desire to have more than what is due, give rise to instability, greed,”⁹ or simply put— lust. According to Colossians 3:5 and Ephesians 5:5, the apostle Paul denounced lust as idolatry.

The Link Between Artist and Masks

What’s the link? To paraphrase Calvin in his commentary on Ephesians, it’s “replacing God with a greater desire.” The representation, which becomes our main desire to maintain, ends up being our mask. When we speak of masks, we come to hypocrisy (behind the word is the definition, “wearing a mask”), whereas Jesus invites us to transparency and to draw near to God. He asks that we lower our masks, lay down our pretensions, and come to him, even in suffering, to find peace (Matthew 11:28-30).

When we pray through a mask, be it the mask of supposed spirituality, false humility, or even expertise in theology, we are not being honest with God. This unnecessary effort drains the grace we so desperately need. In wearing the mask, we are proving our merit or shielding our hearts from the Lord’s sanctifying work. After all, only the sick need a doctor. But when we let go, especially in the suffering that comes from recognising the ugliness of our sin, we receive the peace of forgiveness from our Redeemer.

His rest will lead us to healthy prayer, not to mention a better use of social networks. No longer an idol, we can avoid being eaten up by lust. Even if the masks are part of social media, we don’t have to give ourselves entirely to the game. No one puts an ugly profile picture unless it’s done on purpose. My current profile picture is the most staged picture I’ve posted, but I kind of like it.

Honestly, we shouldn’t take our masks too seriously, nor those of others. There is a balance that we all must strike between not wearing our feelings on our sleeve and being comfortable with ourselves, mask and all. Moreover, we cannot escape our humanity, and that is not what Christ is asking for. The Christian is called to put on the new humanity in Christ (Romans 13:14), and thus, we will find rest for our soul and transparency towards others that comes from being justified. In this, Georges Rouault’s paintings show that, though we all might wear an occasional mask, through resting in the Lord, we can escape the trap of feeding into duplicity.

_{Images of Rouault’s paintings in the graphic above credited to the following:}

• _{“Qui ne se grime pas”}
• _{“Head of Christ”}
• _{“Automne ou Nazareth”}
• _{“Christ in the Suburbs”}

_Notes:

_{¹ For most of the biographical information I followed the website for “La Fondation Georges Rouault.”
² “Madame X.”
³ Taken from a letter from Georges Rouault à Édouard Schuré on Sunday, 10 juin 1904. I owe this and other quotes from the help of the artist’s granddaughter Mme Anne-Marie Agulon.
⁴ “La fuite en Égypte huile sur papier marouflé sur toile, vers 1946 Paris, musée national d’art moderne, centre Georges-Pompidou”
⁵ “If art is sometimes an ardent prayer if I do not blaspheme by saying it too loudly, it will be my consolation if some of my works sometimes bear the imprint of it or highlight it, fortunately.” I also owe this quote to Mme Anne-Marie Agulon
⁶ “Le vieux roi, 1937.”
⁷“C’est par ses meurtrissures que nous sommes guéris.”
⁸ “Qui ne se grime pas ?”
⁹ Definition taken from the Lexicon BDAG of the Greek word : πλεονεξία (covetousness )}

This is painful.

I’m about to share something personal. It’s a lesson I learned years ago. I share it because it illustrates what I believe to be a crucial truth. It seems many mature believers “get stuck” at some point in their walk. They’ve made good progress, then stall. They may stay there for months, sometimes for years. As many Christians know—If you’re not making progress, you’re inevitably slipping back.

When we first come to faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit helps us set aside obvious vices, the so-called “sins of the flesh.”

Our change in behavior sets us at odds with the people we used to hang out with. Since we’re not doing what we did, while they continue to, we find new peers who encourage our walk with Christ. Chapter two in our journey is when the Holy Spirit moves beyond the sins of the flesh to the sins of the soul. It isn’t just behaviors that are challenged; its thoughts, opinions, attitudes. The struggle in dealing with these is that they are wrapped around our identity.

The sins of the flesh were just things we did. The sins of the soul are tied to who we are. The Holy Spirit challenges us to set aside our “old man,” as the New Testament calls our old identity, and embrace our “new man” who we really are now in Christ. (Romans 6:5-14; Ephesians 4:20-24; 2 Corinthians 5:17). Because these are deeper changes that profoundly affect how we see ourselves and place in the world, they’re a far greater challenge than the sins of the flesh. Many balk at the prospect of setting aside the familiar for the unknown. They may not like what the Spirit has revealed, but at least it’s known. The identity God calls them into is for many, an unknown too scary to brave.

For years I struggled with anger.

I’d have moments of rage that exploded in punching walls, throwing things or verbal abuse. Fortunately, the violence was never directed at people. After each outburst, I regretted my behavior but made no progress in shutting it down. I eventually realized why—It worked! My outbursts were usually at work where I was a manager. When I blew up, it made the employees “tow the line” and get back to work.

Then I got married and had a child. When my son failed to comply with some command, I blew up. When I saw the fear on his little face, I realized how out of control I was and the damage I was doing. I’d prayed about my rage before but now I was desperate to change. But—Nothing happened. The rage continued.

One day, after yet another regrettable outburst, as I pleaded with God to change me, I sensed the Spirit say, “Your rage is a symptom.”

My reply: “Of what?”

Spirit: “I can’t show you.”

Me: “Why?”

Spirit: “It would ruin you.”

Me: “Why?”

Spirit: “You’re not ready. If I showed you the root cause, you’d despair.”

Me: “Then I’ll never change. I have to change. Please show me.”

Spirit: “I will–when you’re ready.”

As anyone who’s had that kind of moment with the Holy Spirit knows, the entire exchange took place in no more than a couple seconds. A profound peace came as I realized God was going to do a work in me to bring me to the place where He could show me what the cause of my anger was. Once I knew, I could repent and experience healing. Little did I know when it was revealed, it would be so painful.

Over the next months, my walk with God became more secure as I began to better understand His grace. He proved Himself faithful time and again. I realized how wise and powerful He is. It wasn’t till later that I could see all that was part of what I needed to know so the change could come. So that a part of the “old Lance” could be intentionally put away and my new identity installed.

Then one day, in a setting similar to the previous encounter, I sensed the Spirit ask, “Are you ready?”

My reply: “If you’re asking, it means I am.” That was followed by a kind of pause in which I sensed the Spirit was giving me the opportunity to compose myself. “Okay,” I thought, “Big reveal coming. Get ready.” Then it came.

“Lance, your anger is rooted in your need to be in control. You give lip service to Me being Lord, but you haven’t surrendered to Me. You’ve taken Me as Savior, but not as GOD. YOU sit on your throne. So when things aren’t going as you want, you blow up because it intimidates people and makes them comply. It puts you ‘in charge.’ But it also harms your relationships with them. I’m God! Get off your throne and yield it to Me.”

As before, all this came in the space of a couple seconds. And as warned, it was a revelation so deep and disturbing, I was barely able to handle it. Undone! There’s no other way to describe how I felt. I seemed the world’s biggest traitor because I had betrayed myself without knowing it. I realized how comfortable I’d been living a lie. In fervent prayer, I admitted my sin, asked forgiveness, and the work of truth and grace to surrender utterly to God as God, to take control of me and help me stay off my throne.

He did. The next months saw a remarkable change. When anger stirred, I quietly reminded myself Who was in control. What a delight to watch the fire of hostility die instead of flare up. There were a couple moments in the next years when the rage spun up, but it was quickly repented of. It’s been many years since the last outburst.

Note: This was the cause of my anger problem. I’m not suggesting it’s someone else’s. Their brokenness may lie elsewhere.

That wasn’t the end of the Spirit’s work. He’s gone on to deal with other things in me. Because I’m not in Heaven yet, there’s more brokenness to be made whole, more sin to repent of, more holes in my soul that grace and truth need to fill.

2 Corinthians 5:17 is a key truth in pressing into spiritual maturity. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Faith in Jesus unites us to His death and resurrection. The Cross puts an end to what we were while the resurrection births us as a new creation. Walking in the Spirit means learning to “put off the old man and put on the new.”

Are you stuck?

Is there something you plead with God to change but seem to make no headway in? Does anger often get the best of you? Are you locked in bitterness? Does envy squeeze you? It may be the reason you still struggle with something is that it’s rooted in your old identity. If you have repeatedly asked God to “fix” something still broken, it’s time to ask why. Ask the Spirit to bring you to the place where you can see the cause.

Because the reality is, if we’re not growing, if we’re not moving forward in our walk with God, we’re inevitably drifting backward. We simply must press on.

In part one of this article, I shared four tips I gleaned from the New York Times bestseller: The Power of Habit: Why we do What we do in Life and Business by Charles Duhigg. I’ll add to it with steps five through nine here:

5. DEVELOP A KEYSTONE HABIT

Duhigg allocates a large portion of his writing on research that shows that people who create a “keystone habit” will trigger widespread change in many other areas of their life. For example, people who start exercising also begin to eat healthier, feel less stress and even spend less on their credit cards!¹ Essentially, keystone habits help to create “small wins,” which in turn boosts your overall motivation and gives you momentum to build even more good habits in your life. For the Christian, the keystone habit that will affect the most God-honoring change in life is developing a consistent habit of daily devotions. Starting each day with the Lord will be the most beneficial spiritual discipline you ever develop!

6. STRENGTHEN YOUR SELF-CONTROL IN OTHER AREAS

The author cited experiments that showed self-control as a muscle that could grow. He wrote, “As people strengthened their willpower muscles in one part of their lives – in the gym or a money management program – that strength spilled over into what they ate or how hard they worked. Once willpower became stronger, it touched everything.” He went on to say, “When you learn to force yourself to go to the gym or start your homework or eat a salad instead of a hamburger, part of what’s happening is that you’re changing how you think…People get better at regulating their impulses. They learn how to distract themselves from temptations. And once you’ve gotten into that willpower groove, your brain is practiced at helping you focus on a goal.”²

Christians are actually strengthening their self-control when they consistently practice things like the spiritual discipline of fasting, praying for longer periods of time and even saying no to social events to serve at church. When the alarm goes off in the morning for the daily devotion routine, they are more able to get out of bed and stay focused as they have their quiet time with God, because they’ve already put in the hard work of a disciplined life. Think about the areas in your life that need self-control, self-denial and submission to the Holy Spirit. Practice disciplining yourself in these areas, and you’ll also set yourself up for success in your daily Bible study habits.

7. PREPARE IN ADVANCE HOW YOU’LL HANDLE OBSTACLES

Duhigg shares about a medical study where participants were asked to write down their rehab goals each week. Those that followed this request recovered quickly in contrast to the delayed recovery of those who didn’t write anything down. It doesn’t seem like written goals should make much of a difference, but there was a striking transformation in the results. After correlating the data, they found a common thread in their goals, “They focused on how patients would handle a specific moment of anticipated pain.”³ One patient knew it hurt to stand up from the couch to walk to the bathroom, so he resolved to automatically take the first step immediately so he wouldn’t be tempted to sit back down again.

It would seem that to take some time each week to write down your daily devotion plan and think through some potential obstacles helps to build perseverence and gives you a better chance of success in establishing the habit. I recommend taking 15 minutes each Sunday for the first month you are trying to establish a daily devotion routine to write down the answers to the following questions (along with others you find helpful):

1. My quiet time goals for this week are ____________?
2. If I don’t feel like getting out of bed in the morning, I am going to ___________.
3. If I oversleep in the morning, I am going to instead read at this time ___________.

8. DEVELOP SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES IN COMMUNITY

Duhigg interviewed a man who climbed out of poverty and asked him for the secret to his success. The man said, “I don’t really know…My mom always said, ‘Your going to be the first person to go to college, you’re going to be a professional, you’re going to make us all proud.’ She would ask these little questions, ‘How are you going to study tonight? What are you going to do tomorrow? How do you know you’re ready for your test?’ It trained me to set goals.”⁴

Many Christians share the same goals of reading the Bible every day to meet with the Lord, but find themselves in the same position as others, unable to make a habit out of it. Why not challenge a few friends to start this habit the same time you do? Contact each other throughout the week to encourage each other to “not grow weary in doing good” (Galatians 6:9). Brainstorm each other’s game plans and offer suggestions. The community accountability and encouragement can be a healthy force in developing a habit early on.

9. DON’T FORGET IT’S ALL ABOUT GOD’S GRACE!

A not-so-surprising discovery I found in this book was that Christians actually have the competitive advantage in creating lasting habits. The author’s research on Alcoholics Anonymous showed that one of the main secrets to lasting change was “belief,” specifically in God.⁵ This shouldn’t surprise us since our God desires to change us. Paul tells us in Romans 12:2 to, “…Not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” If God is asking us to change, then He is going to enable us by His grace to make those changes. Above all else, depend on the Lord as you seek to develop spiritual disciplines that will conform you into the image of Christ!

I believe the mature believer can profit from much of this secular research, while ignoring any parts that bring glory to man or leave out God all together. There is certainly a “man is the captain of his own destiny” type of feel to this book with which I wholeheartedly disagree. Yet the research and scientific discoveries are strong enough that they should not be discounted entirely.

¹Duhigg, Charles. “The Habit Loop.” The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. New York: Random House, 2012. 109. Print.
²Ibid
³Ibid
⁴Ibid
⁵Ibid