Innocent Courage

For those who have never had the opportunity to travel to either of the two tiny islands off the coast of Western Australia to which these little creatures call home, their utter fearlessness is difficult to fully portray with words alone. Most of the native Australian fauna is inherently quite shy, and I remember being struck with wonder at the bold curiosity of these tiny marsupials. After a hot morning exploring Rottnest Island with my husband's family, we finally spotted a quokka attempting to escape the fierce heat of the scorching Australian sun. As we quietly approached, careful not to make too much noise and frighten him, the little creature turned around and started approaching us! Unafraid, totally comfortable in our presence, he reached out to touch our legs with his tiny paws, almost hopping right into our laps, and eagerly lapped up the water we offered from our cupped palms. This innocent courage, this unconditional child-like trust, is such a delight to behold. But its rarity is not only apparent in the animal kingdom. I think sometimes we can be too careful to hide our hearts, to put up too many walls protecting ourselves, particularly when it comes to those closest to us... with the closest relationship possible, requiring the most vulnerability and humility, being the relationship between ourselves and our Creator. This piece is an honouring of the innocent courage that the Creator delights in when His creation comes into His presence, completely comfortable and unafraid. The little creature looks up inquisitively, calmly. The colours surrounding this happy little creature represent the sand and grasses that make up the little islands he calls home.