"In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace
that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding." Ephesians 1:7-8

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Inspired

I'm beginning to realize that I am a "Jack of All Trades, Master of None." I love crafting, sewing, knitting and being artistic but I never really stick with any one thing long enough to be exceptional at it. But, I'm okay with that. :)

Recently, I've been itching to do a painting. It's kind of funny to see in writing.  I have zero painting experience. Darin doesn't even like me to paint our walls because I'm not careful enough. However, the boys keep bringing home great artwork from art class and I think, "Gosh, I want to try that too."

And then my inspiration struck... dear friends are moving to Pennsylvania to pastor a church there. The wife, Kristen, is very dear to me and as I thought of a gift to give her, I thought about how encouraging her relationship with the Lord has been to me. Immediately, Colossians 2:6-7 popped in my head.

"So then just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught and overflowing with thankfulness."

I lived for a long time with shallow roots. I wasn't studying God's word and although I believed in Him, I wasn't seeing the fruit of a close relationship with Him. My friend Kristen is the epitome of deep roots. She loves the Lord and His Spirit overflows from her. The perfect verse for what I wanted!

Quickly, I had a vision of what I wanted my painting to look like and called my artist dad to see if what I was wanting to do was even possible for a beginner like me. I decided that if the painting looked terrible, I could easily come up with a different gift. After three days of working on it, I finished my painting last night. My dad was so gracious to talk me through how to make my sketch on regular paper and then transfer it to the canvas. He came over two times to help coach me through the painting. It was super special time for me and I hope he enjoyed it as much as I did!

So, without further ado... here is my first painting. Not spectacular, but from the heart and I can't tell you how much joy it brought me to create this for my friend. I probably shouldn't quit my day job, but I'm pleased with the result. It was just what I envisioned. Notice the Bible verse is the "deep roots."

We will miss you very much Purdy Family!

3 comments:

  1. Well done! And such a thoughtful gift. I am sure she will treasure it forever.

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  2. One of my most favorite gifts ever was a painting done by one of my students in Venezuela. It captured so much of what life was like there and is something I hold very dear to my heart. I know your friend will feel the same way. What a beautiful idea!

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