Waxing Artsy
Chad Allen
October 1, 1998
Never would I have called myself an artist. My formal art training came to a close about the same time my sixth grade books did. After elementary school, I doubt I even picked up a paintbrush or colored pencil, let alone put one to good use. Never found the time. To be honest, I never really saw the need— that is, not until recently. After a long week of work, church meetings, and extracurricular activities, I decided to be alone. I needed to shut out the hurry-scurry of our world, if only for an evening. So, alone I was, but as I sat there after finishing a meal, the thin line between restful solitude and lonely boredom started to waver. "Now what?" I wondered. "What will I do?" And then, in an effort to jumpstart my mind, "What do I want to do this very moment more than anything else in the world?" Suddenly, the single word "draw" entered my mind. "I want to draw." Admittedly, this was a pretty unlikely thought. I mean, who gets this sort of impulse except those who already have a long-standing love for drawing? But I should add this detail: for a number of days a mental image of a monastic figure being tempted by a diabolic one had been floating through my imagination. So, when I heard "draw," perhaps it was my imagination demanding some action of me. Maybe it was an exceptional admonition from God. Perhaps it was both. I don't know for sure, but what I do know is that the result was a nourishing, worshipful exercise whereby I was able to express my version of "The Christian against Evil." Whether the spiritual foe at any given time is greed, lechery, pride, hatred, or something else, most Christians have learned that choosing to be like Christ means enlisting oneself in a war. That night I set out to draw what spiritual ...
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