What These Hands Were Made For

"We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith;  if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach;  if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. "
~Romans 12:6-8

My Aunt Pat blessed me immensely with a $75 giftcard for a wonderful art supply store called "Dick Blick's" (don't for get the "B"). I went there for the first time on Tuesday and immediately was overwhelmed with excitement going from isle to isle not knowing where to start. An employee kindly helped me pick out what to get. I told her as far as painting went, I had only used watercolors and that I would like to try something new. She ever so sweetly pointed me in the right direction to the perfect acrylic paints, paint brushes, and canvas.

Tonight I finally had the time to sit down with all of my new goodies and put them to good use. I have always been the artistic one--painting, sketching, designing, creating, writing, dancing, etc. I was so excited to try a new medium of art and stretch my artistic abilities!!

Prophetic art is specifically something that has been on my heart for a long time. I love to have something on my heart, hear some scripture, listen to a song lyric, or have God speak to my heart and then put it into a creation. There is something so liberating, freeing, and healing for me in that.

So tonight, I turned my phone on silent, put my iTunes worship playlist on shuffle, started praying, and let my hands do the work. At first, I kind of felt intimidated. I had no idea of how to use acrylics, how to paint with them, what to paint, etc--but in my intimidation, I felt God asking me to sit in silence. It was in that intimate moment, where I closed out the fear and unknown of a new thing for me, that I just let myself start speaking in a language that probably wouldn't make sense to anyone else. Speaking in tongues is something that I have started making myself practice--having that intimate language and communication with Christ is something I have learned to hunger for and love dearly. In that time, I felt God just saying "Let Me work through you. Let Me work through you. Let ME work through YOU." So, I picked up that first bottle of paint, squirted it onto the pallet, picked up my brush, and set it to the canvas. I didn't have it all planned out of what I was going to paint, and surprisingly I was more than okay with that. I just started painting while singing and praying--and these 2 little creations are what I came up with. They're just little canvas' for practice--but the resources that they became to my night made me ever so thankful.

The first one is just kind of my portrayal of a reminder to myself of what Christ sees me as--not what my family sees me as, friends, people at church, people that dislike me--just what Christ sees me as. That I was formed in His image and He fashioned my heart to be one with Him.
The second one of the feather is just kind of a light, hopeful feeling--a reminder that His path is narrow but His burden light. PRAISE GOD FOR THAT!!

My hope and prayer in my art is that it not only is a healing intimate thing for myself, but that it would speak on measures and levels to others that my own mind cannot even fathom. That they could see my art and something would stir in their hearts. That they would search their heart for what it speaks to them--and maybe what God is trying to speak to them through it.

All in all, I highly highly suggest stretching yourself to doing something like this.
I know I'll be doing it way more often and cannot wait until the next time I get to have a time like I did tonight.



Here's to living the destined life..