Artwork: Conversation Pieces

Homes are filled with a variety of pieces of artwork in any number of forms. Our walls, tabletops and shelves are filled with works of art we love, some passed down through our families and some created by us. Several are paintings our daughter, Abigail, and I have made while listening to worship music, connecting with the Father’s heart and listening to the leading of Holy Spirit as we created the piece in front of us.

When Abigail turned 18 recently, we had artwork created that would last the rest of our lives - we got tattoos. It may not be the “usual” way for a mother and daughter to celebrate a landmark birthday, but it was incredibly meaningful to both of us and we made a memory we’ll never forget! One of the main reasons we did it together is because in the coming year, Abigail is going to be going on the World Race, a nine-month long mission trip to three continents. This was a way to draw us close in heart when we won’t be able to be together physically.

When we went, Abigail got the word, “Chosen,” tattooed onto her shoulder. This is a word that God has spoken to her heart often over the last couple of years and is connected to I Peter 2:9, one of her favorite scripture verses and perfect in light of her upcoming trip. It says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light.”

In matching font, I got “Beloved…” with a bird flying above the script. I knew that I needed to be reminded countless times throughout the day that I AM beloved and see it enough until I never question my worth again, despite my faults or the number that may be on the scale. I also wanted the “…” to be my version of the semi-colon used to signify support of suicide prevention and the choice to continue life. I did it in honor of our friends’ daughter whose passing the year prior rocked all of our worlds and for others whom I love who have chosen life, rather than death. Last, but not least, I knew I wanted a bird with it. I wasn’t entirely sure why…I love birds…the Holy Spirit is spoken of as a dove…I just knew that it was supposed to be part of the design, even if I didn’t fully understand the reason why. After last Saturday evening’s church service, I now better understand how this work of art was a message straight from God’s heart to mine and I wanted to share it.

First, during worship, there were some phrases sung within some of the song lyrics that really spoke to me – enough so that I wrote them down as I sang them. Paraphrasing, it was, “Stories end…Your steady love sustains me through it all...I belong to You.” It was in that moment of worship that I understood that the “…” represented so much more to me personally than just a choice to not end one’s life. For me, it’s that MY story continues each and every day. It’s not complete. It’s still in process and as my story is being written, it’s from the perspective that I belong to Him. For me, it’s not a matter of choosing life or death, but knowing that my life story is still being written with new sentences and chapters beginning each day, giving me renewed hope for what the future holds. Things aren’t going to stay the same. They WILL change.

My deeper understanding continued when at the end of the teaching on “Hearing God’s Voice,” we were led in an exercise of asking Jesus questions and listening for His responses, writing down both the question and the first thing we heard. It was an amazing, enlightening, revelatory conversation with my Savior:

Me: “What do You want to give me today?”

Jesus: “Peace.”

Me: “Why peace?” (There were so many other things I expected He would offer. Peace took me by surprise.)

Jesus: “Because you need it. Chaos has swirled around you, but it is not of Me.” (I saw a picture of me twirling around and around with my arms outstretched, the wind swirling about me, and it was dizzying.)

Me: “Jesus, is there anything You would want to me give You tonight?”

I saw my empty, open hands. “I have nothing,” was what I thought. Then, I simply knew that’s exactly what Jesus was asking of me – nothing. He just wanted my empty hands. Nothing was required of me. For a “doer” and an “earner,” that can be a hard place to rest within, but it was freeing.

Me: “Jesus, what do you see when you look at me?”

Jesus: “A soaring bird.”

Me: “Why?”

Jesus: “I’ve given you flight. You fly above the storms and the wind carries you. It uplifts you and holds you aloft. That’s what the wind is designed to do – not to create chaos, but to hold you aloft.”

I suddenly understood why I was compelled to make the bird part of the design of my tattoo and why it was placed as it was – in a soaring position. The storms do come and they come often, usually in raging fashion. Being reminded of the purpose of the wind and how it’s intended to carry and uplift me, not create chaos, enables me to shift my focus from fear to faith, having confidence in the Creator of that wind and His plan for it.

I’m a visual learner, comprehending and processing ideas and information best through pictures. Divine creativity inspires my soul, speaking to me in ways that only images can, drawing me closer to His heart. I may not have fully understood what I was doing in designing the artwork on my forearm, but God did and I will continue to be reminded of His words to me every day of the rest of my life.

So the question remaining to be asked is, "What is the artwork around you speaking to YOUR soul?" 

Listen for His still, small voice in it. You may be surprised by the conversations your artwork inspires…

Gut Job

There are times when you walk into an area of a home and simply declare it a total “gut and rebuild.” For any number of reasons the area needs to have everything ripped out of it, solely leaving behind the studs. Even those are likely to be replaced because more often than not, during this type of renovation, the layout is changed, requiring studs to be rearranged and fortified in order to create a new space for living enjoyment. In situations like that, a vision for what that area will become helps get you through the mess, the delays, and the chaos. Being able to know that it will look brand new – unlike anything it used to be, and that you’ll really love living in it when it’s finished, provides the motivation to push through and complete the job.

Inner healing can feel much the same way – like having everything ripped out down to the studs and the area rearranged, until there’s nothing left of the former self in that space. It reaches into places you may have wanted to leave untouched or entirely hidden; places you’ve purposefully chosen to ignore. It can touch areas beyond repair, resulting in an experience that can be gut wrenching, painful beyond description. However, when you know that the finished restoration will exceed anything you’d ever hoped for because the Master Builder is the One at work and He’s promised that His work will always far exceed anything we could ever ask for or imagine in our own minds, you can have a vision, even if that vision is simply a hope, for what will be when the renovation is complete.  This is what compels you to move forward through the process, through the pain.

Sometimes the most challenging aspect can be the time required for the project to be completed. Oftentimes, homeowners hit a point of frustration because things are beginning to come together and it’s nearing the time of being able to move into and enjoy the space, but there’s additional time needed for completion. Certain elements need to “cure,” paint colors still need to be finalized, special order items haven’t arrived yet, delaying installation and leaving the homeowners anxious to simply get things finished. Perhaps it’s even causing them to become angry with their Builder because the process may be taking longer than expected. They no longer want to wait for the custom cabinets or finishes to arrive. They just want to be done, but it’s those custom pieces that make the space unique…individual. If the owners move into the space too soon, they’ll never be satisfied because that area will always remind them that they settled for less and that it never fully became all that it could have been because they were impatient.

It takes trust in your General Contractor to believe that a project like this really will come together, become what has been promised to you and that it will be completed in perfect timing. Allowing this depth of work in one’s own heart requires a belief that even though it’s painful, the process is one that is filled with absolute love for you and that your heart is being held with hands that are well-acquainted with the kind of suffering, rejection, fear, or abandonment you may be experiencing. There is nothing He hasn’t suffered on our behalf – He’s been here in this place before us and it is His unfailing love that not only sustains us through the renovation process, but also leaves us strengthened and able to enjoy the newness created within our hearts and souls.