This is something that I’ve been told to post for a while…
As I said in my post about debrief, Lindsay Sullivan came and she spoke on Creation. She encouraged us to sit down with the Lord and let him inspire us to be creative.
When she said this I knew exactly what the Lord wanted me to focus on…
He wanted me to draw these flowers that I had seen earlier. So I got out my pens and I drew these two flowers first!
While I was drawing these flowers the Lord reminded me of these verses…
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?
“And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?
“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT)
(Come to find out after I drew this that I realized these are Lilies that I drew!)
Then I had some more time so I drew this other batch of Lilies! For you see they kind of grow in a pod, all off the one stem. While I was drawing this pod of lilies, the Lord revealed to me that these are the stages that you and your fellow racers will go through…
(The flower in the rear) As you can see the blossom was in full bloom, but some of the petals are not perfect and have blemishes on them.
Sometimes you come off of a spiritual high and go through rough patches and sin starts to creep in to your life.
(The flower in the left) As you can see the flower is stiff and withers. It’s dried up back down to its pre-bloom self.
Sometimes you go through hard times, when you feel weak, closed off, and challenged in new ways.
(The flower on the right) As you can see it’s a new bloom, it’s in the process of opening up to show its beauty.
Sometimes you come out of those hard times and you have new growth that’s happening! Sometimes you don’t even realize it! You’re starting to cultivate and form your beliefs and stances on things, you beginning to open up.
(The flower in the front middle) As you can see it’s thriving in full bloom! It stands loud and proud for all to see!
Some seasons you are firmly rooted in the Lord and he shines brightly through your beauty. You thrive and cultivate his love for all to see!
At debrief, I was given the chance of sharing with the group afterwards…. but my perfectionism and my pride got in the way. But I’ve been challenged this year to share what the Lord says, to lay down what was given to me, to forget about my unhealthy need for perfection and to just be confident in the talents he’s given me. So here I am sharing these drawings with the world, is it perfect no, but it’s ok because the Lord said share and I’m being obedient!
This month I’ve given myself a challenge which requires me to give up this need for perfectionism, to put aside my pride, and to rely on the Lord to open my eyes to what He wants me to see. I’ve shared it with my fellow squad-mate Megan and Lindsay Sullivan to challenge them too; to talk to the Lord daily, ask him what he wants us to see and then record it into a journal each day. This can be expressed in any form, whether words, pictures, verses, dried flowers, really anything… Not only is it a challenge to seek the Lord daily, and express what He wants us to see, the bigger challenge is to share, openly what the Lord is showing us!
Be on the look out for future posts that show what the Lord’s been showing me daily.
