Lesson for the Week

The Dau
(10/22/10)

During my Art Appreciation class this semester, I learned about the art of the Pomo Indians. They like to create these beautiful baskets, and in each one is something called a “Dau”. A dau is a small, barely visible imperfection or hole that serves as a door for spirits to travel in and out of. Now, understand me, I’m not of the mind that spirits randomly travel in and out of inanimate objects, but the idea of the dau got me thinking about our own flaws and limitations. If you think about it, God created us with our own kind of a dau. Look at it this way. We know that He created us in His image, and that image is perfect. But we also know that as we get older, our own personal imperfections begin to show; and it’s during those times that we need Him the most. We need His word to renew our minds and keep us focusing on the beauty of life when everything else seems to be falling down around us. We need His strength when we are angry and ready to take it out on someone who may or may not deserve it. (Sometimes we all have to remember who vengeance belongs to…) We need his provisions when we feel as if we should be able to handle everything ourselves, yet can’t seem to make it happen. When life becomes too hard, we have a choice. We can either let our pain, anger, or fear streak out in every direction from our dau: or we can let God into those imperfections where His light can shine through for everyone to see.

2 Samuel 22:29
Isaiah 2:5
2 Corinthians 4:6