Flicker of Eternity

This verse found me. I have been running a lot lately, with a goal of half-marathon endurance in mind. Somewhere lost in the miles and thoughts about current stressors and the awful week that felt like it would never end, God found me and placed in my head and heart a few pearls of wisdom. He told me that I could teach myself physical endurance, but that He would teach me spiritual endurance. 

I was reminded of Phil 4:4...to Rejoice in the Lord always, independent of the situation & in good times and bad... and I was unable to wrap my brain around that kind of consistent and steadfast joy. I have never felt like I could make it to the end of my life and have even as much cumulative zeal as Paul expresses in one sentence of any of his letters, much less a consistent and dedicated daily dialogue with God. 

But God placed me here, on the edge of the promise of learning spiritual endurance. And because I am here, on the verge of somewhere I never believed I would be, I find comfort in the reminder that God placed eternity in my heart. Even though His plan is so far beyond any I can conceive of, I can see that a heart that was made for eternity has the capacity for endurance.

Take Heart!

As strange as it sounds, this drawing/doodle is just honest. 

There is a lot of intricacy; a lot of lines and colors and textures and just a fraction of the way through, I wasn't sure I could fill the page in a way that was glorifying to the words I tried to surround.  

There is brightness, uncertainty, exploding color, confusion, and joy. 

This is me. 

There are a lot of intricate situations, a lot of lines I've drawn with confidence and still others that fill me with uncertainty of whether or not I can fill my life in a way that is glorifying to the Lord. There are sections that go so smoothly and still others that confuse me. And then there's joy in the brightness and in the exploding designs, because I'm reminded that Jesus has already overcome this world, and He's not expecting me to be perfect.  In fact, he's telling me that I'm going to have trouble, and he's encouraging me to keep going. 

When I read it, this is what I felt, and this is what I heard. 

"Brace yourself. 

It's gonna get rough, but don't give up. 

I've been there, done that, girl. 

I overcame that. For you. 

So find your peace in me." 

Gazing

Like a child I'm gazing

Into wondrous grace

For You have been the love 

that fell like sun upon my face

Like a child I'm gazing

Into wondrous love

You're taking me to places 

that my heart is dreaming of

--Gazing by Future of Forestry

Waves of Grain

The earliest sketch in my little square textbook. There's just something about grains that get me. I think that it was the wheat fields that kept me from moving away from here.

This one was inspired by Mark 4:26-29. "Jesus also said, “The Kingdom of God is like a farmer who scatters seed on the ground. Night and day, while he’s asleep or awake, the seed sprouts and grows, but he does not understand how it happens. The earth produces the crops on its own. First a leaf blade pushes through, then the heads of wheat are formed, and finally the grain ripens. And as soon as the grain is ready, the farmer comes and harvests it with a sickle, for the harvest time has come.”
 We hear this a lot. Faith is planted. Then, it grows, and even though we don't understand how, God does and He is faithful to our hearts. The growth is in his own time and in a sensible and orderly way. As soon as it is ready for harvest, it is harvested. His kingdom grows in this same way; whether we are asleep or awake, whether we are laboring for it or not, His kingdom grows according to its order and design. God's timing is perfect.

I am a Sunflower

This space is for the art that has been tossed around in my heart before coming to life on the page. They are made out of a need to express what God has laid on my heart, inspired me to, or gifted me with. This is one of my earlier drawings; part whimsy, part worship, part fellowship.  The hills are made of--and the flowers are rooted in-- praise & scripture. The adventurers as well as the sunflowers are captivated by the sun.

I love sunflowers. I like that they grow towards the sun, focusing on nothing else and obedient to the one that gives them life. I like that they in their very appearance they resemble the source of light. I like that 'sun' isn't just an adjective; it is a part of the name with no separation.  I like that they grow in communities.  I like that they don't fret about the thickness of their stems or the arrangement of their leaves.  I like how it seems they never stop seeking. All in all, one could do worse than to live as a sunflower in a field.