“Put
on all the armor that God gives, so when the battle is over, you’ll still be
standing strong.” -- Ephesians 6:13
Odds are
that you are familiar with Albrecht Durer's most famous painting below. You may even have a reproduction hanging in
your home. But do you know the story
behind his renowned piece “The Praying Hands?”
During the
15th century, lived a family with 18 children. Despite their poverty, two of the brothers
dreamed of becoming famous artists.
Knowing
that their father could never afford to send either of them to the Art Institute,
they devised a plan. The loser of a simple
coin toss would support the other by working in the gold mines. Then, when the winning brother completed his
studies, he would finance the other brother’s artistic studies by either
selling his artwork or, if necessary, by laboring in the mines.
Albrecht
won the toss and went off to Nuremberg. Albert
toiled in the dangerous mines to support his younger, whose work at the Institute
was almost an instant sensation. In
fact, Albrecht Durer's pieces were far better than most of his professors. By graduation, he was earning substantial
fees for his commissioned artwork.
The
successful artist returned to his village a hero. After a festive celebration of wine and song,
Albrecht rose from the head of the table to toast his beloved brother for the
years of sacrifice that had enabled him to fulfill his ambition. He closed by saying, "Now Albert, my
humble brother, it is your turn to go to Nuremberg to follow your dream. I will care for you now as I promised!"
All heads
turned to the end of the table where Albert sat. Tears ran down his pale cheeks, shaking his
lowered head from side to side while he sobbed.
"No brother, I can’t go! It
is too late for me. Four years in the
mines have broken bones in every finger.
The arthritis in my hands is so bad that I can’ even hold a glass to
return your toast; much less make delicate lines on parchment with a pen or a
brush. No, brother . . . for me it is
too late."
One day,
to honor Albert for his loving sacrifice, Albrecht meticulously drew his
brother's abused hands, palms together and thin fingers stretched skyward.
The moral
is simple enough. Sacrifice involves
forfeiting that which is most dear to us.
It’s not sacrifice if we give what we can afford. It’s not sacrifice unless it is given for the
right reasons. Sacrifice does
mean that we must trust God to provide whatever we need. It’s hard to remember this when a loved one is
suffering - but it’s still true.
Lord, in your words, humility doesn’t mean putting
ourselves down or having a low opinion of our own talents. It means freedom
from thinking about ourselves at all!
What opportunity have You placed in my way today? How can I better serve You? Amen.
