Silhouette

SILHOUETTE
Lamentations 1:12a
“Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around and see.”

Jennifer squatted at the foot of the swing set, head down, fisted hands on her eyes. Her sobbing couldn’t be heard; only her trembling back revealed her sorrow. The playground teacher, Mr. Walker, crouched down and placed a hand on her back, speaking softly.

He noticed that something was wrong with Jennifer. So did the kids who were heading in her direction. They all stopped playing, and queried Mr. Walker with wondering eyes when he stood up, holding Jennifer’s hand.

In the 18th century, silhouettes (sil-o-ETTS) became a popular alternative to expensive portraits. Silhouettes are shadow-traced profiles, cut from black paper.

The word came from a French general of finance named Etienne de Silhouette. He tried raising money to fund the Seven Years War against England by increasing taxes. His countrymen complained by using the word silhouette to mean their reduced wealth—a mere shadow of what it once was.

Jeremiah grieved over Jerusalem—destroyed by war—in the book Lamentations, in the Bible. His sorrow was that once great city, the center of worship, was reduced to a mere shadow of what it originally was.

Today, if we look around, we see people who are grieving over lost jobs, lost homes, lost pensions and incomes. Some people see only the negative side of what happened to the USA after most jobs were shipped overseas. Many are struggling more than they ever dreamed, but remain hopeful.

Jeremiah shows us how to lift ourselves out of despair.

“The glass is half empty”, “the glass is half full” are phrases that people often say to describe how someone handles adversity. The choice is yours: pessimism or optimism? Jeremiah points out to us that God is sovereign in suffering. He can do all things, regardless of how terrible circumstances appear, or how impossible they seem to correct.

Which life perspective do you usually show others when experiencing hardship?

Take Home Nugget

Jennifer was sobbing because her older brother is in the hospital. What she didn’t know: His broken leg needed the swelling to be reduced before putting it in a cast. Was he going to die? was the only thing she could think of at the time.

She tried to remember God’s compassion in her sorrow.

To see beyond terrible shadowed outlines, let Christ be your light.

J.D. Griffith

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt nor a fear, not a sigh nor a tear
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Sammis

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