Day 6: The Voyage of Life—The Solution to the Dilemma of Mortality

The Pilgrim of the Cross at the End of His Journey (study for series The Cross and the World)
Thomas Cole ca. 846–1848 Oil on canvas, 12 x 18 in. (30.4 x 45.8 cm.)
Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1965.10
https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/pilgrim-cross-end-his-journey-study-series-cross-and-world-5078

Through allegorical landscapes bursting with spiritual symbolism, Thomas Cole leveraged the beauty and glory of the natural world to explore the purpose of our limited time on earth.

The Voyage of Life—in addition to other works by Cole, such as his Course of Empire series—advises us not to mistake creation for the Creator. Instead, we should put our faith in the eternal God, investing in the things that He tells us are important and that last forever. Jesus spoke of these eternal investments in Matthew 22:37–39, also known as the Great Commandment:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

An Invitation to Come

God desires to welcome you into His eternal presence with open arms. The Bible teaches that we need only trust Jesus for the eternal life He offers us. That eternal life is a free gift secured on our behalf through Christ’s death for our sins and His resurrection three days later.

The pervading imagery of the cross found in his artwork suggests that, to Cole, faith is about more than religiosity. In one of his paintings, Expulsion. Moon and Firelight, a beam of light forms a cross with the bridge between the fallen world and the Paradise of God. It is suggestive of that which bridges death and life: the cross of Christ.

At Cole’s own death at the age of 47, he left the series The Cross and the World unfinished. He also left unfinished a landscape fittingly titled Cross at Sunset.

During our brief sojourn on earth, we are being prepared for our true home as citizens of heaven. This is the solution to the dilemma of mortality.

If the best moments of beauty, intimacy, and adventure in life create longings in us, imagine what their fulfillment will be!

Call to Action

This art-based reading plan was adapted from content in The Angel and the Voyager: What Thomas Cole’s Voyage of Life and Course of Empire Paintings Tell Us about the Meaning of Life (Omnibus Media Ministries, 2021, by Kenneth Boa, Louisa Baker, and Michael Stewart). To purchase this book and other resources by Ken Boa and colleagues, visit kenboa.org/shop.