Skip to main content

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

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Everybody Loves a Good Fight

By
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...
3 comments
Read more

Baby steps to Big Girl Dreams

By
My heart was racing.  I had a tug inside of me to make a call to the local community college to inquire about teaching a continuing education class.  I had always had a desire to teach, and the bubbly stir inside of me kept pushing me to act.  My only problem was that  the conversation in my head made me want to run and hide.  But the stir was so very strong.  I had to do something.  And then I remembered a teaching I had just heard by Joyce Meyer.  She spoke about fear and how it can grip your life.   Her solution was simple.  She said, "Whatever you need to do, do it afraid."   A light blub moment !   Her words interrupted that internal conversation, and pushed me to make a choice and shift my thinking.  I marched to the phone....afraid....and made the call to the college.  I asked if they were in need of instructors and before I knew it,  one thing led to another.  By the end of the call, I ...
4 comments
Read more

What I learned in March

By
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...
3 comments
Read more