Hear, Hear

Vision - Stephen Sou

This is a drawing I did several months ago.  Giraffe in Africa symbolizes vision or visionaries.  You think it’s because of it’s long neck, that it is able to see further than most creatures is why they are considered as “visionaries”.  That is part of it, but the major reason is because of the size of it’s heart.  Giraffes are known to have a large heart among the animals.  Of course they have a wider perspective of what is behind and front of them.  The heart is what drives the vision.  If our hearts are not in it how can we even have a vision?  But how great will our visions be when it is inspired by the huge heart of God?

-Stephen Sou

The Narrow Road - Me. 

This is actually the first art project I have done for my DTS last year.  We were to create an artwork that reflected our relationship with God at that time.  

Just to throw it out there.  What does this artwork say about myself?  And what does it say about you?

-Stephen Sou

Photo taken in Hamburg 2010

Relationships

Relationships, what an amazing tool.  Like a hammer it gives a pounding in order for things to hold together.  Depending on how much endurance it can take from the poundings.  Relationships, either it is a lover’s relationship to family and to even friendships, affects all of us in their own special way.  I would say it always needs work.  Not every relationship in this world in perfect.  But is that what we go for in a relationship?  A perfect one?  Is that what we all desire or do we desire a relationship that we all selfishly would want?  Takes one to be selfish yet takes two to have a relationship.  

I wondered why we even have relationships.  Like what was the sole purpose?  Why didn’t God just create Adam and Eve and they can just mind their own business on their own? Why can’t we be alone.  Ha.  Silly questions eh?  Of course we would be mindless robots that would just live, probably as of like an animal.  But I realized the divine reason for such.  A reason why we go through hurts in relationships.  Even in broken ones.  Even losing a friend or a partner.  It’s to have a glimpse of God’s heart.  To put ourselves in the perspective and even in the shoes of God in the relationship between us and Him.  Even in losing people in our lives.  Because He goes through that everyday with many specific individuals.  

Of course that’s not the end of it.  Because of how we as Christians has seen how God can redeem broken relationships, we in the same way must do so.  Of course the other person in the relationship will hate you still even after, but it’s how we can truly reflect the heart of God in those moments are our finest moments to shine.  

The relationship with God is like a hammer, it hammers those nails that pierced Jesus’ hands so that we may be joined with Him.  Joined together firmly so that we may be held to Him.  Even be held by Him.  Pounding are good regardless when it hurts.  It takes two to create a relationship yet it only takes one to sacrifice and to love.  Just like Jesus did.  What an amazing example eh?

-Stephen Sou

I’ve got no strings
To hold me down
To make me fret,
or make me frown
I had strings
But now I’m free
There are no strings on me
Hi-ho the me-ri-o
That’s the only way to go
I want the world to know
Nothing ever worries me
Hi-ho the me-ri-o
I’m as happy as can be
I want the world to know
Nothing ever worries me
I’ve got no strings
So I have fun
I’m not tied up to anyone
They’ve got strings
But you can see
There are no strings on me

Pinnochio, an old 1940s Disney movie portraying a boy puppet that was brought to life because of a man who longed to have a son of his own.  A very interesting tale of how this puppet managed to go through kidnapping, deceived, almost turned into a donkey, and even being swallowed up by a large monstrous whale.  To my surprise is that this movie shows a life of someone who goes through the hardships and the deception of human trafficking.  A puppet that is wanting to find an identity as a real boy.  Many young people longs to find an identity of their own in their life.  Like Pinnochio, we want to become something extravagant like having a role in a “theatre”.  But it takes one or maybe two(like the fox and that cat) to lure in someone who is as vulnerable like Pinnochio.  Of course Pinnochio’s intentions weren’t to be selfish but saw how his father was living in poverty.  As we see in the movie, he is kidnapped by a puppeteer that wants to use Pinnochio and profit whatever money through him until he becomes “useless”.  Eventually of course he escapes with the help of this “fairy godmother.”  Then again gets deceived again through the promise of all kinds of pleasure for young boys like him.  But this time he is turned into a donkey, symbolizing the state of humility, how in this case Pinnochio is literally humbled and is almost caged up and sold to different countries.  So ironic that the song that he sings at the theatre is that no one can control him yet he is constantly being abused and used like an actual puppet or maybe even a rag doll.  Of course his father goes out to search for him but he is swallowed up by an monstrous whale.  I felt like the whale represented the hopelessness that a victim’s parent may go through when no one, even the authorities, would help him.  Of course we know it ends with a happy ending with Pinnochio becoming a real boy.  But not everyone gets the luxury of a happy ending. Where are all these ” fairy godmothers”?  Who will be the ones that can reach out a hand to embrace those who are in need?  Who can truly be a light in the darkness for these people.  Like the fairy godmother, who can teach them the morals of what is right and what is wrong?  This goes for everything, not only for the victims of human trafficking but everyone.  The widows, the orphans, the poor, etc.  Who will be their light and hope?  Surely not the church, since the church has some strings to to cut within itself, right?  Wrong!  For the church is free from such strings of this world!  Leave behind the strings of the world and move forward in freedom in Christ and truly be that city of light on the hill!  Let the lampstand hold up the light so that the darkness may flee and the ones in the darkness become attracted to this light!  The light that represents the love of God.  For light does not speak or preach nor does it argue,but it just burns.  

As Christians we can proudly sing this song of how we are free from strings of this world.  That nothing has a hold on us and how we don’t even need to worry about anything of this world.  And as His children, we can sing, ” I want the world to know, Nothing ever worries me because of Him who set me free.”

For more information on Human Trafficking: notforsalecampaign.org

And you can find more information online.

Be a Blessing to Be Blessed.

-Stephen Sou