Skip to main content

Naomi's Story - Blessed Assurance


I’ve never met anyone who acts like a child more than Naomi.  I know that sounds like a dig, but it really isn’t.  She is a child before her creator, God and just like a child, Naomi talks to God.  A lot.  It’s a side of her I’ve admired from the moment I met her.  She innocently and faithfully talks to God, just like a kid talks to their dad.  She is honest and real with HIM and it was during a challenging day that she began to pray openly with her child-like heart.  The conversation took place as she was driving in her car.   It was a dreary, overcast day, but now and then the sun would tease and peek through the gray sky.

Naomi is in transition.  She is planning to move to Texas and wonders about the move.  Specifically, she wonders about God and asks questions.  Where was HE in this leg of her journey?  She had been seeking HIS reassurance, but she wasn't hearing that still small voice she was familiar with.  So, she decided to pray that day while in her car.  She wanted God at the center of everything and told HIM so.  Could he please just show himself to her?  Just a word, anything.   Suddenly, in that moment, the sun came out.  It wasn’t an ordinary appearance, though.  It seemed to permeate her car as well as her heart.  It went right into her soul.  She completely felt HIS presence and it was an obvious answer to her childlike pleas. 

The sun looked soft and sweet, and it disappeared back into the clouds almost like a drape being slowly drawn away.  It left behind, though, feelings and emotions almost too deep to put into words.  She felt overwhelmed.  It was clear God's Spirit was present with her.  She felt HIS peace, joy, and love in her body.  At that moment, she wished she could somehow capture the memory forever.

The following morning, after her quiet time, she reflected on the experience and decided to call me.   She shared what happened to her and also told me how the song, Blessed Assurance ran through her head as a result of her experience.  She asked if there might be a way to express her experience through my art.  This is my interpretation of Naomi’s experience, which I call, Blessed Assurance.  



Comments

  1. It is so wonderful to see you combining all you gifts into one and sharing them through your art. Your work is as rich as the story you share.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Everybody Loves a Good Fight

I’ve gotten into two fights in my life.  I know, hard to believe.  But I can remember them clearly.  One was with Cathy, who lived two doors down from my grandmother’s house.  I was probably around 8 or 9 years old.  Cathy was mean and a thorn in my side.  She was also the only other kid on the block who I could play with.  I don’t know exactly how the fight started, but I can remember the final scene and how it all played out.  I towered over her as she lay on the grass, pinned in a helpless position.  She cried for mercy and I let her go.  She flew home and that was the last time she bullied me.  The other time was in sixth grade.  I was friends with Rosie; at least I thought I was.  She accused me of breaking her compass and told me that she was going to beat me up after school.  I was shaking in my boots the rest of the school day.  I wondered how I could avoid the ordeal.  I wished I had someone that co...

What I learned in March

Another day of snow.  The amount we'd been getting was absurd.  But this one particular day, there was an amazing snowfall.  Even though I really, really wanted to complain, I just couldn't.  It was way to beautiful.  As I drove to work, I looked at the trees along my route.  Each covered perfectly with a velvety ribbon of white.  Just amazing.  How could I possibly complain?  So as I drove, I took it all in.  Any other day, maybe the snow would not have received such a welcome, but this day, it did.  I decided to celebrate instead of complain.  So what happened?  Well, my disposition changed.  Since then, I focused on a simple prayer.  Lord, change me.  Three little words.  Because when it comes down to it, the driver for my mood is my attitude, my perspective, my thinking...all of it.  Learning and saying these three little words was a huge graduation for me.  It gave me a sense of peac...

The Mending of our Lives

  A new season begins. It is Lent. We are born. And the moment we are born, we leave one realm and enter another. We were conceived by the greatest Artist, God. Designed, created, and with the breath of life in us, He perfectly places us exactly where we are supposed to be. Yet, at this moment we entered imperfection, and became needy. Needy for so many things, but more than anything else, it was the beginning of our need for Him. Our need for His grace for our souls. Our search begins. Is it possible we have a memory of where we came from? Is it possible our needy souls long to be seen and loved as we once were? Could it be that this is what drives our search? Our search for someone to hold us, care for us, nurture us, and grow us? The neediness in us becomes so great that our lives can turn into broken fragments and pieces that scatter to anyone or anything that appears to have the ability to mend our souls together. We can be stuck in this fragmented and scattered state and cont...