Wonderstruck

 

I've been thinking a lot about the power of words lately.  It helps that I have a very inquisitive 8-year old that loves to ask me questions like, "How far is 'as far as the eye can see'?" and "what does the word 'slender' mean?" as he stretches out the pronunciation: s-l-e-n-der.

I was pulled into a discussion with said 8-year old just the other day about how amazing it would be to speak a word and have that thing appear.  Creation with nothing more than syllables, pitch, intonation and accent.  Wow.  What an amazing power would that be?  I can't help but think that no matter how hard I might try though, that what I spoke into existence would be nothing more than fragile shadows of what it is that I set out to create.  After all, how can the word "flower" sum up all that a flower is?  How can this simple word sculpt the petals of a tulip as softly rounded as an infant's cheek? How can six letters, arranged in a certain manner, paint a rainbow of colors from the deepest hue of purple to the stunningly pure white?  How can two brief syllables show the tiny tendrils of green shooting up from the ground before the last of the snow has left at the beginning of spring to the final drooping buds browning on the stem in late autumn?

This is often how I feel when I paint.  Inadequate.  Fumbling, tripping over missteps taken with my painting knife.  Trying.  Trying oh so HARD to create.  And what do I have when I am finished?  Fragile shadows of the pictures in my mind.  Fragile shadows of the world around me.  Fragile shadows of the wonder of God.

And I stand, speechless, in awe of my Creator.

When I look around everyday I am seeing God's handwriting.  He authored the clouds.  He penned the wind.  He breathed life into man with nothing more than a word.  He spun a tale of the furthest galaxy.  He wrote the spirals onto the face of a sunflower.  With. Just. A. Word.  Psalm 29: 3-4, 7-9 tells us this:

The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic. 

The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” (NIV)

And here am I.  Stumbling forward toward my easel.  Paint covered knife clutched in my shaking hand.  Wild, powerful, majestic, striking, shaking, twisting, divinely uttered images racing through my head.  I am humble. I am wonderstruck.  Again.

My favorite author, Margaret Feinberg, has a new book out.  Wonderstruck: Awaken to the Nearness of God.  Wonderstruck is a personal invitation for you to toss back the covers, climb out of bed, and drink in the fullness of life.  You can follow Margaret on Twitter, Facebook, or her blog, and you can learn more about this great book by visiting www.margaretfeinberg.com/wonderstruck. The book can be ordered on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  

I want to welcome my Creator with open arms everyday and see the wonder of God's wild, abounding creativity painted across the face of my child as he asks me about the world he sees around him.  I want to step out into that world with reckless abandon as I overflow with divine awe at the words...at the imagination...at the might of the One who Loved first and best and continues to Love like no other.

Where have you seen the wonder of God in your life?

10 things I am thankful for.....

My husband.....

My home which keeps us warm as the days grow shorter and more brisk.....

My studio.....

My children's love for making music.....

My church.....

My youngest son's new coat (just in time for the cold weather).....

My dog.....

My oldest son's quick mind and sense of humor.....

Answered prayers and unanswered prayers.....

My Creator's plans.....



"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Art is hard work.

No really, it is.

Some days the LAST thing I want to do is to walk back into my studio. Sometimes I am so disgusted with the work I've done that I have to leave for a while and observe the image from a distance before I can grow to appreciate parts of it and return and try again. Sometimes everything seems to be going GREAT then an interruption comes (generally in the form of one of my children) and it all falls apart before my eyes because I have lost focus.

So why do it?

"In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form and an empty waste, and darkness was upon the face of the very great deep. The Spirit of God was moving (hovering, brooding) over the face of the waters.
And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.
And God saw that the light was good (suitable, pleasant) and He approved it; and God separated the light from the darkness.
And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day." Genesis 1:1-5 (AMP)

I prepare. I form. I fashion. I create. I move and hover and brood. And on good days, I approve. What reason more do I need than to watch, emulate and learn from The Master Creator of All?

This starving artist :)

I'm starting to feel like an artist....

I have two pieces on display at the local art center until the end of April and I sent off a proposal this weekend for a hospital looking to buy or commission art from Michigan artists. Now if I could only sell something so that I can buy more supplies....or maybe groceries....here I am....living the dream. *Sigh*

10 things that made me smile today.....

The weather being warm enough for me to wear a light jacket outside in the middle of February.....

Eating the last apple out of the refrigerator.....

Listening to "Here With Us" by Joy Williams.....

The chirping of two lovely parakeets.....

A warm puppy dog that likes to curl up next to me when I read on the couch.....

My children getting their homework done in a timely manner.....

FINALLY finishing (and being happy with) the sketch for my next painting.....

Listening to my children talking back and forth in bed even though it is WAY past their bed time and I have told them 3 times already to go to sleep.....

Having the use of a good tripod (thank you, Victor).....

Reading the words: "When life is heavy and hard to take; go off by yourself. Enter the silence. Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions: Wait for hope to appear." (Lamentations 3:28-29 MSG).....
.....today was a good day.