Thought for the week: The importance of holding fast to the Christian faith
Some time ago while in London visiting family friends I made my way to Cheyne Row in Chelsea to see the London home of the 'Sage of Ecclefechan' Thomas Carlyle.
The guide book I was using informed that other famous men lived in Cheyne Row, namely the painters James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) and Joseph Turner (1775-1851). Not being into art, I took as reliable the comments of that Guide. Both men observed the same scene, 'Old Father Thames' with its barges, stunted trees and the surrounding crowded streets, yet each man interpreted that scenery differently.
Whistlerpainted in sooty browns and greens even hanging out his work in all weathers to render it even more sober. Whistler's 'At the Piano' painted in 1839 crystallised his style, pale flat tones and sparse detail. Turner dealt with those scenes in his own special way. For him "every glance of nature was a refinement of his art". He painted in golden splashes and all the colours of the sunset. Irish playwright Oscar Wilde was noted for suggesting: "There were no fogs in London before Charles Dickens and no sunsets before Turner".
Whistler saw things soberly, bordering on the morose, while Turner communicated the vivacity of the scene to the point of glory. The same evidence was interpreted differently. We all do it!
So what is our interpretation of life as we encounter it day by day? Nineteenth century prime minister Benjamin Disraeli's view has its adherents: "Youth is a blunder; manhood is a struggle, old age is regret".
While such sentiments can be occasionally true, as a concept for the whole of life, it makes human existence a cold house. If Disraeli nodded in the direction of Whistler, Turner's approach has the backing of the prophet Isaiah: "Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not faint" (Isaiah 40, verse 31).
The central source of strength for every phase of life, and the three outlined in Disraeli's comment is "hope in the Lord".
Scottish theologian and historian George Adam Smith once wrote: "Let us hold fast to a faith which exults in being the secret of enthusiasm and is daring enough to find its fulfillment in the commonplace".