The dark, scribble-like marks of blackish red are prominent. They’re unsettling, not beautiful. They represent the Lord’s Anguish. His suffering. Blood shed by Him. Infinite atonement. I want to look away from the image of Jehovah being crucified. I turn my eyes away. 

The bold and prominent shades of darkened red represent this essential, love-filled and transcending pain. And promise.

Surrounding the Anguish are colors that draw in our hearts, give comfort. They’re pretty and float about, as if filling our best dreams. All the loveliness of pinks, whites, yellows and rouge soothe into a smile. They represent Grace. The pleasing love, kindness, forgiveness, inclusion and eternal possibilities with our God. I know His Grace. All my life He has lifted me. My soul has known excruciating goodness from Him. God’s Grace.

Every color of Grace is found in the blood of Anguish. I cannot look away, because in and from and through the Anguish, I find Grace. They are not separatable. We must take from the colors in Anguish to make the clean whites of peace and of purity. From the hues of purpled red, we symbolically make the yellow and pink in our lives. This is syzygy.

Syzygy is both a conjunction and an opposition. A yoking. It is a union of connected yet contrasting things. An alignment of sun and moon and stars.

This canvas is meant to symbolize the alignment of what seems to be opposites. From His Anguish comes Grace. Proceeding from His agony is the power to save and redeem. From His Anguish comes mercy and healing, all blessings. From His Anguish is Grace.