My eyes dart between the beautiful architecture that grows up around me and the uneven cobblestone beneath my feet. Running fingertips along walls of flower shops and old church doors as I round corners, bits of chipped paint catch under my fingernails; I follow beauty deeper into the heart of Antigua. The brilliant yellows and the caribbean blues radiate joy, and every turn makes me feel lighter, refreshed, and expectant of what the Lord has in store for our month in Guatemala.
Leading up to the Race, I asked the Lord to speak into my love of painting, creating, and capturing through art. I asked Him to make space for this love to grow and flourish during the next eleven months. I asked the Lord to give me the chance to use this gift to love others around the world, somehow.
And here I am, in the heart of a city splashed with color and culture and artistry from end to end. A smile erupts on my face as I pass numerous street artists, painting their perspectives of the city streets my feet are floating down.
I love it here.
Saying goodbye to sweet Gerardo on our last day in Antigua.
An older man on my left, maybe in his 50’s is painting with watercolors, his pieces capturing the history and charm of Antigua so well. I stop to watch him, and we strike up a conversation. My Spanish is better than it was 3 months ago and I manage to make a few jokes while also letting him know I think his work is wonderful. Half-kidding I ask him if he gives lessons, and completely serious he says yes. Next thing I know I’m exchanging numbers with Gerardo, and we’re setting a time to meet at the end of the week; I’ll bring my watercolors and my friends and he’ll arrange the rest.
Fast forward to today; I’ve just come home after our painting session in the park and I’m feeling fuller than full. Just hours ago four friends and I made our way into Antigua from our little home on the outskirts of town. With paintbrushes and quarter sheets of paper in hand, I was hopeful that Gerardo would in fact be sitting at his post on the sidewalk, just before the iconic yellow arch. Sure enough, he was there, ready with a smile! He packed up his paintings, stool and brushes, and motioned for us to follow him.
We made our way down the cobbled street ending up in a beautiful park just next to a bright yellow cathedral. Gerardo found an open spot and began to seat us in a circular position, pulling out his own paints and brushes to offer if we didn’t have our own. From his portfolio he pulls a handful of photographs—most of which look like they’ve been plucked from his personal photo albums—depicting scenes from around the city. We can choose from detailed shots of window boxes and weathered buildings or beautiful hummingbirds running with abstract color. I choose a hummingbird and settle in with my pencil to sketch a quick outline and begin the process of bringing this bird to life. I watch as my teammates choose their photographs, noticing Gerardo move from person to person, offering aid and suggestion to get them started—for some of them this is their first painting class.
Gerardo lights up as he shares his gift and passion, creating memories for us through capturing moments with brush strokes. For the next hour he builds our confidence and guides our creativity, speaking solely in Spanish. But painting, like many forms of art is a language all it’s own, building bridges between cultures and uniting people in an understanding where words aren’t needed. Sitting in this park, sharing a love of art and culture, this is an answer to that prayer I sent up before the race began.
Gerardo shares bits of his life with us as we work; he studied art at university many years ago in Guatemala City, and came to Antigua to make a living doing what he loves. And gosh, do I admire him for that! Art stems from passion and passionate pursuits are risky to take. My artist’s heart resonates with his story, his love of creating, and his desire to share his perspective with the world.
An original painting by Gerardo of the famous arch in Antigua, that will be hanging in whatever place I call home in a few short months.
I’m reminded of a favorite quote from Bob Goff in his book, Love Does,
“God asks what it is He’s made us to love, what it is that captures our attention, what feeds that deep indescribable need of our souls to experience the richness of the world He made. And then, leaning over us, He whispers, ‘Let’s go do that, together.’”
I find myself wrestling with pursuing dreams that fall in line with my giftings and those things that make me feel alive, when it seems so much easier to settle for simple and secure. To choose a life of stepping out in the, “What if…” with God, rather than walking in the well worn path of practicality that so many before me have beaten down. But, as I read stories in Scripture and see what God has done in the lives of people around me who have said, “yes” to Him—no matter how crazy or impractical the dreams He gives them may seem—the more I know I want to leave limitations of God behind me.
As I move through Scripture I don’t see a God who is limited by time, circumstances, finances, or ability, so why have I made Him out to be? As I move through Scripture, and even reflect on my own life, I see a God who dreams big, Kingdom-sized dreams for us. I think it honors God when we dream big with Him, when we allow our lives to be shaped by Him in a way that seeks out the impossible, the hard, the that’s-a-little-crazy, and the Kingdom bringing stuff.
I’m praying I never look back on a point in my life and think, “Wow, if only I had trusted God and went for that.”
