Lately the Lord is showing me so much more of Himself in so many ways, it's hard to even explain sometimes. But one thing He's showing me recently is stuff about me.
See as long as I can remember, I've had a love for the arts. I've been obsessed with music and anything to do with music since birth. As soon as I was able, I've been in love with creating art in any way I can get my hands on. Color, texture, paint, sketching, markers, canvas, you name it, I dig it! I also love theater, photography, etc. I love seeing the Lord come out in anything and everything…especially anything artsy.
But…
For so long I've let those passions die. The feeling of not being good enough, or the lies that have come that what I create isn't as good as others and thus not worth doing, has kept me from the arts for so long. Too long.
Am I still unsure of my gifts? Yeah in a lot of ways I am. But my passions are being re-awakened. The Lord is calling me into it more and more and to be bold in doing so. I no longer want to be my biggest critic. I don't want to believe the lies that what I make isn't good enough, or that I am not capable of doing the things I feel drawn to. I want to step forward with boldness. I want to show more of who God is by the gifts He's given me…gifts I don't want to hide any more.
Last month in Australia, Laura, a team mate of mine was given the vision to take broken glass from the community we were working in, and make it into a mosaic. I volunteered to help with the project, but had no idea how big of a role God has intended me to play in that. There was a guy who was going to help design it and show us how to make it, but as the Lord would have it, he never showed.
It was then that God reminded me that He's equiped me and given me the gift of art.
I started scetching what He showed me, and then started playing with the glass to lay it out and see how it would look. It was beautiful. The cross needs to be bold, so I thought keeping it solid brown would look best, and then use the brown and green together to represent the new life coming out of it. During the process, He had to speak to me that I was able, that He gifted me in this and He wanted me to bring it to life…over and over again.
I haven't done art like this in years! So many times satan tried to feed me lies that I couldn't really do it. that it wasn't good enough, that I wasn't enough. That what I was creating wasn't beautiful. But God made sure that others I was with saw it and encouraged me on. I didn't even have to voice those struggles to them, God just knew who to send and what they needed to say or to help with.
The Lord brings new life. He makes all things new and beautiful!
So with the help of some of my squadmates, the mosaic is complete. Here is the final product…
Thank You Lord for giving Laura the vision. For trusting me to bring it to life. For reigniting this passion in my life. I pray that I dig into it deeper, in all aspects of art. That I trust You in what You say of me, and not what satan tries to say to me.
Here's a pic of some of the people we fell in love with in the Bagot community in Darwin, Australia. The mosaic is a gift to the church there to show how our amazing Father brings new life and makes all things beautiful. The glass was taken from their community where the chains of addiction to alcohol run rampant, but, the Lord is moving there and He is bringing people back to life, to the fullness of life in Him.
