‘Jacob I Loved’: The Heart Behind Election

An oil painting hangs in my dining room of a shepherd looking after his sheep outside a great city. It reminds me of my life’s charge from my Lord. Anyone who walks into that room sees it. Recently, I asked two of those who often have seen it to describe the painting hanging behind them — without taking a cheating glance. Both squinted, pupils darting to and fro, trying to recall what they had seen, or at least glanced at, countless times. Familiarity had robbed them of seeing what they looked a