"An Artist's Walk with God"

As I reflect on my life as a woman and an artist, I see the many layers of who I am. 

My first layer is a woman that has responsibilities to my family, my husband, my son, and his family, and even to myself.   My second layer is this vulnerable introverted artist that prefers to spend time alone in her studio. People are not as important as within the introverted world, people tend to drain, but canvases fill.  I am totally fulfilled with my canvases, my paints, my brushes that have become what in turn creates my voice.

I love this second layer of my being.  I am actually very comfortable in this layer.  I embrace being alone as this space is my creative mood where I can paint my soul without any interference trying to dictate the path of my paint brush.  When I am in my art studio, it is like my spirituality of what I need is clearer, I can hear God’s voice louder and I can translate my inner passion in a way that I could not if other people are around.

The is no inner critic as I do not even allow her to explore my mind and play havoc!!!  She knows to stay away!!

But also, what happens is that I can allow God to birth through my loneliness a heightened sensitivity to others.  I remember reading in the Bible that Jesus went away to a lonely place to be with the father. Jesus sought out solitude so he could seek the father’s will for his life.

I can not stay in this layer all the time as I still have responsibilities to others, but what if God there is lesson to being in this quiet space.  Perhaps, God is telling YOU to just sit still for a bit, to listen to His silent words and to feel comfortable just being along with Him?  You do not need to be an introvert to go into a quiet moment or space.

We all have seasons of where we are in our life.  About seven years ago, I went from a very busy professional life where I was surrounded by people from the moment I stepped on the Washington DC metro system in a busy city, and into a “war room,” the board room.  This place that demanded me to make decisions and lead and left me little space for my own thoughts.  After years of this life….

I traded my high heels from the board room to my brush in my art studio.  I have not looked back.  It was time in my life for my season to change and I knew it.

How do you know which season God wants you to be in? In my life, I know that when God removes growth, or creates impenetrable walls that I cannot climb, it is His way of telling me to make a move. 

Many times, in life we get overwhelmed because we focus so much on what we do not know, we forget to focus on what we can see in front of us. In times like this, we must have faith, unwavering faith to walk down a path we cannot see to the end.

When you do not know the future, but you know God is nudging you to take a few steps in a direction, God wants you to take, take those steps with faith. Once you walk forward in faith and come to a crossroads where you no longer know what to do, THIS is the time to be still and focus your attention to what God might be whispering to you.  

It takes courage and bravery to step forward when you cannot see the path clearly, but know God is directing you to go onto the path. You may not take this step perfectly as you might have some fear but be BRAVE.

My current series: “Brave, Not Perfect” is about a woman inspired by how she sees the world. She sees the world with blind eyes, a world with faith that her path is already known by her God.  She is brave, not afraid.  She looks at the world with hope. She trusts that each day will be filled with a deliberate passion and that she has purpose. She is Brave, but Not Perfect and she is ok with that.

Proverbs 3:5-6 states: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Be Brave and do not be afraid to be imperfect, as with God, He fills those gaps. All you have to do is slow down and trust him with all your heart and acknowledge Him first. Only after this season of focusing on God will he then tell you what to do next.