God is always at work in the world doing so many things we can’t comprehend as humans. At the same time, He cares enough to speak to us in ways and with symbols we can understand.  

So, when I started exploring the Ten Commandments as a series, I kept this in mind. To designate the number 10, I used the roman numeral “X,” as it also marks our goal, the way we are to live, like an X on a map. The X is made by hand rather than printed, because God Himself wrote these commands to His beloved people and gave them to Moses. God doesn't leave His people lost in the wilderness but points out the way forward.

Behind the X, we see stones with numbers on them. They form a heart because God gave these commandments out of love. He gave them so that His people would not only live, but live abundantly and know His deep love for them. To represent this abundant life, there is also a splash of blue. This represents the living water that keeps people alive in the desert, but also points to Jesus, the true Living Water that sustains us and gives us abundant life in the midst of all the deserts and trials we go through.