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Colossians 3:23-24
And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
Photograph by Katy Rose Photography |
However, it wasn't until I did some color pencil drawings for the Thursday Girls, a group of prayer warriors who love Jesus, that my art took off. The pictures weren't on actual drawing paper or covered in fixative; they were simply each a wildflower (with one or two exceptions when garden varieties were necessary) chosen specifically for that person and representative of what I saw in them. For one, a jack-in-the-pulpit: a teacher at heart, and not fitting into the mold the average person's perception of a flower. For another, a black-eyed Susan: always bright and sunny and cheerful, who can thrive even in the poorest of soils. For a third, Indian paintbrush: a willing tool in the hands of the Creator, who can build anything, physical or spiritual. There were probably a dozen total. It's thanks to these ladies and their encouragement that I began pursuing art in a more professional capacity.
No one is just any one thing. I am an artist, but I am also a seamstress, a musician, a writer, a student of wildflowers, and more things besides. None of these abilities came instantly; they all required a lot of work, practice, and failure mixed with success. But some of these--especially drawing and playing the piano--when I started doing it not from obligation or to please teachers, but for the joy of what I was doing and to please God--that's when the shift from being well-practiced to being actually talented happened. God gave us the talents we have, and using them honors Him; but I think using them for Him is an act of worship that He honors all the more.
Ye Early Drawings for the Girls: Jack-in-the-Pulpit, Black-Eyed Susan, Indian Paintbrush
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