With Him
Oil on Wood
24”x36”
Where DO YOU LONG TO BE FULLY SEEN AND WELCOMED?
Women were there all along, traveling with him, ministering to him, and ministering with him. I wanted this painting to feel full of movement and companionship, capturing the rhythmic footsteps of shared journeys along dusty roads toward the Sea of Galilee. I wonder what conversations unfolded between them. What questions did the female disciples ask that differed from those the men asked? What griefs did they carry? What insights did they provide? What hopes awakened in them as they walked beside the Messiah? I imagine Jesus seeing in them not limitation, but the full beauty of female bearers of God’s image—women worthy of discipleship, friendship, and participation in the unfolding Kingdom; women worthy of the journey next to him.
With Him
I have dwelt in steepled factories
that manufactured veils not woven in Eden.
Threads of caste
stitched into tags of “Biblical Roles.”
I received my first veil at twelve,
wrapped in purity culture.
It came with a ring.
PUT THIS ON.
COVER UP.
MAKE YOURSELF SMALLER.
Layers,
layers,
and layers of veils.
Now I read Scripture WITH women,
like Joanna—poised and regal,
a minister in the kingdom.
Together,
we travel with him.
For reflection:
What might the women who walked beside Jesus teach you about discipleship that you have not yet allowed yourself to imagine, receive, or embody?
Where do you long to be fully seen and welcomed, not as a limitation to be overcome, but as a whole person whose presence, questions, gifts, and story matter to Jesus?
Who are the people with whom you are walking toward Jesus, and what might God be inviting you to contribute to that shared journey: your questions, griefs, wisdom, courage, or hope?