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I'm a piece of work. Artwork that is!

Image
By design#860


 “God is not a technician.  God is an Artist.   
This is the God who made you.   
The same God who lives inside you.   
He comes into us, then comes out of us, in a million little ways.”  
 Emily Freeman "A Million Little Ways"


For me, one of the little ways is through collage.  In my class this weekend, I listened, tried to retain (big challenge for this messy mind of mine) and then apply.  One thing was certain, when I thought too much about what I wanted to create, I became stuck.  I had to stop and release that urge to strive.  Strive for what?  Perfection, inability to commit?  A little of both.  

Thankfully, I caught myself and decided to just go for it and slap a piece of collage paper on my canvas.  That wasn’t so bad.  Now I was able to exhale.  Once I did that, my heart was stirred and I was able to move forward with anticipation.  What a process!  It sounds painful, but really it is growth, which is good.  


We worked with old papers, pieces of boxes and books, etc..  Who knew how many layers were in the walls of a book or box top?  It’s interesting what you find when you pull those layers apart.  

There are some lovely textures, colors and papers inside the hard exteriors of those pages.  But you had to dig a little and look beyond.  Just like us.  The layers of our lives may be hard and rigid, but pull them back and look out.  A thing of beauty appears.  The broken is re-purposed and made into something new and lovely.  It’s the story of our lives.  

My art journey has been more than just learning about an art form and techniques.  It’s been about trusting God as I walk fully in who he created me to be.  It’s been about me owning that I am an artist, embracing His truth in me.   After all, he made me.  He is the one that moves me from a place of striving, and instead to live from the stirring His spirit makes to flutter in my heart.  What a difference.  He pulls back the exterior and exposes what is inside.  The good and bad.

God begins to restore us the minute we are born.  He is always looking to gently pull back the   hard exterior of our lives to expose the parts that can be revealed to reflect His work in us.  We are the ultimate collage that he is creating.


And the exhale continues.



          
                         Discovery                           Recovery

See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.  Isaiah 43:19

With You
My heart is set
for a new journey
But only with you 
Where shall I find you? 
The journey is beginning
& I travel with wonder
and wait for my heart
to be filled
To be filled with more
of you 
Holy Spirit, I seek a place
of joy and peace
             - Re Kielar

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