Unguarded Moments

A Tessa Solomon article on the ARTnews website yesterday (4-29-25) had the following title: “Child Scratches Mark Rothko Work in Dutch Museum.” Here are the details: “A prized painting by Mark Rothko on display in the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam was damaged by a child who made “small scratches” on its surface. The work, titled Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8 (1960), is housed in the Depot, a storage facility that is open to the public and located next to the main building. The incident occurred during an “unguarded moment,” the museum told the Dutch news outlet Algemeen Dagblad, which said the painting was worth as much as €50 million (roughly $57 million). According to a press statement from the institution, the work sustained superficial but visible damage to the unvarnished paint layer in the lower section of the canvas.”* An “unguarded moment…” Anyone who has raised children can tell their own story like this. You take your eyes off of them for a minute and mayhem can ensue. Perhaps not on this scale but messy or damaging nonetheless. It happens.

Unguarded moments in our spiritual lives can also lead to messy and damaging results. The Bible warns us often to be on guard against various temptations that surround us. Here are some examples: Be on guard against greed (Luke 12:15). Be on guard against unforgiveness (Luke 17:3). Be on guard against dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life (Luke 21:34). Be on guard against those opposed to the faith (2 Timothy 4:14-15). Be on guard against those who seek to lead you astray (2 Peter 3:17). Be on guard against worshipping anything other than God (1 John 5.21).

Wow! That sounds like a lot of work. Thankfully, God offers to help us. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

God loves you!

Mike

*artnews.com