Welcome to Sophie's Nature Art!

Today's post is about the fight with the dragon. I painted this scene exactly one year ago for Christmas. It was a real struggle to paint this dragon. I spent a whole four hours just sitting on the dragon. After that, I had to go for a walk. I was so frustrated and on the verge of giving up on the painting. But I kept at it.

Let's get back into the story now. It will be exciting, I promise! 🙂

The ravine of temptation

With his armor creaking and clanking slightly, the hiker approaches the ravine
the temptation. He is not so sure whether his shortness of breath is caused by the inelastic
chest armor or whether it is fear that triggers the
air. In any case, the air becomes increasingly cooler. The rocks along the path become ever more imposing and have an additional oppressive effect on the poor pilgrims walking along. The danger in the air is almost palpable. The hiker has reached the entrance to the gorge. Everything is completely quiet. He quietly hears the voice of the Holy Spirit warning him to be on his guard. As a precaution, the hiker unsheathes his sword. The metallic sound cuts through the silence like a flash of lightning in the dark night. The wanderer flinches involuntarily and listens. But apart from his own breathing, nothing can be heard. Before entering the ravine, he falls to his knees once more and begs the great God of heaven for strength and protection. The wanderer is well aware that, despite his strong armor, he is completely helpless against the archenemy of God. In prayer, the wanderer claims the promises of God for himself. The Holy Spirit places on the heart of the wanderer the certainty that he gave to Moses and the people of Israel ages ago: „The LORD will fight for you, but you will be silent.“

The wanderer rises with the peace of God in his heart. He knows that he has an invisible companion at his side, against whom the powers of darkness can do nothing.

With the firm step of faith, he enters the gorge. Carefully and as quietly as possible, the hiker follows the narrow path through the rocky gorge.

In the pale light of the gorge, the hiker recognizes black, charred spots on the rough rock faces, as if there had been a fire here. The hiker feels quite queasy. But he doesn't want to be distracted from his path, so he concentrates on the narrow path in front of him. Skeletons and skulls lie along the path from time to time. However, the hiker decides not to pay them any further attention, but simply to get out of this ravine as quickly as possible.

The encounter with the dragon

He also has to concentrate very well on the path. Because it is uneven and rocky. And that's when it happens! The hiker stumbles over the edge of a rock. He falls to the ground, clanking and clattering. The ghost's sword lands on the cold floor of the gorge a few meters away from the hiker, resounding brightly. The bare rock faces echo twice as loudly. The hiker freezes. Now his presence could no longer have gone unnoticed! And indeed! Suddenly he notices a large movement in the shadows of the rock faces. He quickly jumps to his feet and reaches out for the sword. That was not a second too soon. The shadow on the rock face is getting bigger and bigger. It is accompanied by heavy footsteps that shake the whole gorge. What kind of gigantic creature must it be that can take such mighty steps? With a booming laugh that could trigger an earthquake, the dragon rears up in front of the hiker. It sits down in the middle of the hiker's path so that he cannot go any further. A devilish grin spreads across the dragon's face.

Once the hiker has overcome the initial shock, he takes a closer look at the dragon. It was a terrifying sight. But the wanderer could also recognize something of the majesty and beauty of the creature that the dragon once possessed when it was created by God. In a way, there is still something attractive and fascinating about it. But when the wanderer looks into the eyes of the beast, all he sees is coldness and hatred. The dragon's sneering gaze makes his blood run cold. So the wanderer stands upright and braces himself inwardly for the fight.

The first temptation

But instead of attacking, the dragon begins to speak. The wanderer is surprised. He had expected a harsh, cold voice. But quite the opposite: the voice was sweet, gentle and extremely melodious. He had rarely heard anything as beautiful as the dragon's words. He listened spellbound to its words: „Greetings, noble wanderer! At last we meet in person! I have followed your journey so far with great interest. I really respect you for making it this far! Many fail much earlier along the way. But you didn't give up. That's an achievement you can be proud of! But after this long journey, you are certainly hungry and tired. You haven't been able to enjoy many pleasures along the way. I think you've more than earned a break! What do you think of a delicious roast pork with a nice fresh beer? As far as I know, you enjoyed eating it before you started your journey. Since then, your diet has consisted more of bread, water, fruit and vegetables. Aren't you getting sick of that? I can promise you that I'll give you the juiciest roast you've ever eaten! And the beer...! Oh, what can I say... it's simply heavenly!“ The dragon sighs pensively. „You'd just have to take off your sword and helmet so you can make yourself comfortable. Maybe you should also take off your breastplate. I can imagine it's very constricting.“

These words make the hiker's mouth water. He remembers the delicious taste of a juicy roast pork. He feels as if he can smell the delicious aroma in his nose. A pleasant feeling comes over him. What the dragon says is true. The food along the way had not been so plentiful so far. It was always the simplest food. When he thinks about it more carefully, he was also a little tired of this healthy food. Actually, he really deserved a proper meal with a refreshing beer after his unnecessary journey! In fact, his last meal seemed to have been ages ago. As if to confirm this, his stomach begins to growl loudly.

As he ponders the dragon's words, a very quiet voice makes its way through his head. „Whether you eat or drink or do anything else, do everything to the glory of God!“ (1 Corinthians 10:31) God forbade his children to eat pork. Alcohol was also forbidden to the priests. Since the wayfarer has set out on the path to the heavenly city, he has also been elevated to the status of a priest. Moreover, alcohol clouds the mind and deafens the quiet voice of God.

But a little rest and a tasty, decent meal would also be in God's interest, wouldn't it? Didn't God also want his pilgrims to rest and fortify themselves with food for the rest of their journey?
But in God's eyes, rest and a truly strengthening meal are not achieved through a binge of drinking and eating.

By now, the wanderer's hunger is overpowering. Servants of the dragon, beautiful women in somewhat skimpy clothing, open a door in the rock face to reveal a beautifully laid table. The inviting sight of the feast is accompanied by soft melodies that invite you to relax and unwind. The wonderful aroma of a promising roast waft around the hiker's nose. All this has an almost overwhelming effect on the hiker. All he has to do is put his sword aside, take off his helmet and breastplate so that he can eat comfortably and relax in the company of the pretty ladies. What was the big deal?

The hiker remembers the Instructions for use to the armor. He remembers how he had read that under no circumstances should he take off even ONE part of the armor. If he did, he would be vulnerable and an easy target for the dragon.

The desire for this delicious food and for the arms of a woman becomes overwhelming. But the Holy Spirit speaks softly to the wanderer. He reminds him of how God had provided for him in the past, how he had never suffered want. God was always there for him. The wanderer knows that if he gives in to his desire now, he will fall victim to the dragon. Even though everything in him longs to accept the dragon's offer, he prays for the strength to resist this temptation. Now the Holy Spirit turns his thoughts to Jesus. What great self-denial did he demonstrate in the desert after 40 days of fasting when the devil tempted him? Jesus won the victory in the desert so that he could also win the victory here and now. A decision matures in the wanderer. Trusting completely in the power of Jesus, the wanderer replies to the dragon: „I thank you for your kind offer. But it is written: Whether you eat or drink or do anything else, do everything to the glory of God! I cannot honor God with your food and drink.“

The dragon smiled, but hatred flashed in his eyes. „Very well. You're quite right. A healthy diet does make sense. But I think you should treat yourself every now and then.“ A sigh escapes the dragon. He lies down comfortably and rests his impressive head on his even more impressive front paws. With its eyes half-closed, it seems to be deep in thought. The wanderer watches the dragon intently. He has the impression that although the dragon is lying down, it fills the entire gorge. It seemed to be an insurmountable obstacle. How would his armor help him get past the dragon?

The second temptation

The dragon slowly raises its head. A gentle smile reveals a pair of menacing-looking huge teeth. „Hmm... You seem to be very loyal to your god. I admire that! Seriously! It's rare to meet people with strong convictions these days. Most of them fly their flag with the wind. But I wonder one thing: aren't you overdoing it a little with your firm principles? It is written in the Word of God: ‚For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm now and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery‘ (Galatians 5:1). When I look at you and consider your path so far, I don't see much freedom. You've given up your family, your friends and your work to stay true to your principles. You have caused your family great pain. That can't be God's will. You really enjoyed your work and you were very good at your job. Did God really command you to give it all up for him? But you didn't even stop there! You even gave up your hobbies, your house and all your possessions. Everything you've built up over many years, you've thrown away all at once. And for what? What have you gained from your journey so far? You have suffered hunger, deprivation, pain, fear of death and almost lost your life - more than once. Take a look at yourself! You're a walking skeleton! I have the impression that the only thing holding you together is this rusty armor - without it, you'd probably collapse.“ The dragon starts laughing at the top of his lungs. This laughter shakes the whole gorge. It shakes the poor wanderer to the core. He does indeed feel like a little heap of misery.

The dragon continues: „All these hardships and sacrifices! Just to please Jesus!“ The dragon pronounces Jesus„ name with utter contempt. “You know, there are so many Christians who lead a much more relaxed life than you. They also worship God, but their lives are much freer than yours. They don't worry so much about what they eat, how they dress, what they do for work or how they should spend their free time. They simply do what they feel like doing and ask God for his blessing. They are very happy with that. They enjoy life here and look forward to an even better life in eternity. Only you are mortifying yourself, imposing all these rules on yourself and walking this lonely path. Do you really think you're right and all the other Christians are wrong? I mean, do you seriously think that you are the only one with the truth?" The dragon lapses into silence. But his words echo in the wanderer's mind.

Thoughts race back and forth in the wanderer's head. What if the dragon was right and he had gotten himself into something? How would he know that he was on the right path when most of the others were taking a different route and seemed happy with it? He was the only one wearing this restrictive armor that made his life difficult. Only he was trapped in this cave with the dragon, while the rest of the world was enjoying life. He had given up so much for his journey to the Celestial City. Was it really worth it? What if it was all just a big lie and there was no heavenly city at all where you could find peace and quiet?
Through all these thoughts, the voice of God makes its way to the wanderer's consciousness. It reminds him of a passage from the Bible: „Jesus said, “Truly I tell you: There is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for my sake and for the sake of the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold, now in this time houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and fields under persecutions - and in the age to come eternal life." (Mark 10:29+30) And a second Bible passage comes to mind: „If you love me, you will keep my commandments.“ (John 14:15)

Yes, he had suffered hardship and pain. Yes, he had to give up everything to follow Jesus. The price of following him is immense. But what had he received instead? The longer the wanderer walked along the narrow path, the greater the peace in his heart became. The more experiences he had with Jesus, the better he got to know him, the greater his admiration and love for this brilliant God became. The more he learned to love God, the more all the other things lost their significance. They were nothing compared to the treasure he had found in Jesus! No, nothing in this world could outweigh the sweet peace and deep happiness of his soul! He had searched for it for so long in vain. For nothing in the world did he want to take a single step back. His sacrifices and self-denial were nothing compared to what Jesus had given up and how deeply he had denied himself. The wayfarer doesn't care how other Christians live their faith. His role model is and remains Jesus! Jesus had humbled himself to the lowest depths, he had given up everything to save him who was lost. How can he close himself off to such love?

The fight

The wanderer falls to his knees in the ravine. Fully aware of his many weaknesses, faults and utter helplessness, he begs the Creator of the universe for help! Through his infinite humiliation on the cross, Jesus defeated the dragon. In the same way, the wanderer now bends under God's hand. He does not know how to escape this situation. Once again, he surrenders himself completely, body and soul, into the hands of his merciful God.

When the dragon sees this, he becomes restless. He stands upright, every fiber of his mighty muscles tensed. He knows that if Jesus stands up for the wanderer, he has no chance.

The hiker rises from his prayer. He is barely recognizable. In front of the dragon is no longer a small heap of misery, but a soldier, ready for battle. The wanderer radiates a calm, strength and light that the dragon knows all too well. He begins to tremble with fear and rage. In the truest sense of the word, he begins to glow.