Sword of Truth

Heather Dickinson

Acrylic on canvas

The painting features an Italian longsword surrounded by gripping pea vines on a black background remniscent of 16th century Dutch botanical art. The cruciform shape of the sword hearkens back to the cross, yet speaks to the intentional development we all must undergo at the hands of the Master Craftsman. The pea vines speak to themes of innocence, beauty, and loyalty, a metaphor for the fruit that comes when we abide in the “true vine” (John 15:5). The composition as a whole speaks to the choice we face: will we take up the mantle to “divide rightly” (2 Timothy 2:25) and exercise spiritual discernment in times that are ever more deceptive and divisive? It is a moment like the unsheathing of Excalibur from the stone – will we accept the challenge to become Kings and Queens walking in truth and light, or will we remain in the dark?