A Christmas Past, Happy New Year

This watercolor is of my daughter, the first year in our new home, back in Christmas 2004. (WordPress has made it a lot too yellow, and too purple, but you get the idea.)

Christmas seemed to pass in an empty blur of activity this year.

Not only did we not do our annual advent studies or bake cookies tucked with scripture notes for the neighbors, but it felt like it was all I could do to just get through each day. Since, too, it was our first Christmas in years when financial issues weren’t choking us, we probably went a little crazy with the gift buying.  So, the weeks leading to Christmas felt materialistic and empty to me.

But it was more than that. I still so deeply miss my own home, my dear friends, and  fellowship at our old church, hundreds and hundreds of miles away. Christmas seems to bring all this ”loss” to the surface.

And so, as the day of the celebration of Christ’s birth got closer, I got sadder and sadder. I had failed my daughter and myself, but mostly God. How could I have let this important time to reflect and honor Him just slip through my fingers, while I remained caught in the daily web of washing dishes, cooking, cleaning and helping care for the sick?

I felt unacceptable as a Christian.

And yet, over this last week God provided me a few truths to ease my heart:

• Traditions are important but can’t take the place of an enduring relationship with Christ.
• Satan often uses our “feelings” to condemn us and rob us of our joy in Christ.
• Living your life in service to others (yes, even faithfully hand-washing dishes, cooking healthy meals and cleaning up other’s messes) when done as unto the Lord, is a wonderful form of honor and worship to God.
• Jesus should be the center of our lives everyday, and any season without Him will be empty.    

And so, here is to a New Year. A year, hopefully, to be spent serving others, strengthening our family’s relationship with God and keeping Christ in every moment of every day.

God bless you all in 2012.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus…

James 10:10 The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

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Gone Fishing

This inspiration for this watercolor came from an old photo of my husband’s uncle ~ who recently, sadly, passed away ~ and his young son.

This scene is so inviting and serene that it makes me wish to step right into it, away from the busyness of life, and just simply ”go fishing.” And so, in the midst of my weariness, I turn to Him, Who is my abiding rest.

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Great Worth

I painted this pretty little hummingbird as the artwork for a totebag birthday gift I intend to give to a friend who loves both hummingbirds and the color violet. The verse I chose to complement the watercolor is a reminder to my friend ~ and to us all~  that we are of great worth and value to God:

Behold the birds of the heaven that they sow not,
neither do they reap, nor gather into barns;
and your heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are not ye of much more value then they?  Matthew 6:26

May you know today how great your worth is to our Jehovah God.

To find out more, look up John 3:16 

Seasons of life

I painted this “Sweet Gum” leaf for its amazing autumn violet (which is taking over its green hues of summer.)

The cycle of deciduous trees is much like our lives. The strong bright green apparel of summer evokes warm, sunny, blissful days in oblivious happiness; autumn slyly arrives to clothe in jewelled beauty; but a chill is afoot; bright reds, oranges and violets will come with a price; then shades of brown suddenly become the mode, foreshadowing scarcity, darkness and cold; and, seemingly, without warning, all is stark bare branches, biting winds and gray skies; all hunker down just to survive winter’s harshness. One can almost hear the plaintive cry, “Will this season never end?”But then, one day, a warmer sun appears; a brighter sky; buds form, strength is renewed.

Most of us have experienced a dark season of hoplessness in our lives, wondering how we got there and when it would end. Perhaps we gave up on prayer and pushed God away when our adversity turned permanent. Or in our grief  we obscured and diminished His great love and care for us. In the winters of our lives we need desperately to find our way back. Back to hope, back to joy, and most importantly, back to Him. Here’s God’s answer: look to Him, trust Him, draw close to Him, wait for Him. And, remember, spring is but a season away.

“Lift your eyes and look to the heavens” Isaiah 40:26

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

“The Lord is close to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalms 34:18

 ”They that wait upon the Lord shall mount up with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31

God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing. ~ C. S. Lewis

A Time to weep…

Ecclesiastes 3:4 declares that there is “A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.” But what do we do when our weeping and mourning times appear to far outnumber the laughing dancing moments?

We look to Jesus, Who, through His trials and suffering kept His eyes on the joy that lay ahead. We hold on with all we’ve got to our faith in Christ, assured that heaven — where there is no more death or mourning or crying or pain, our very tears wiped away by God – awaits those who truly follow Him, particularly in our suffering.

The above is a pre-finished rough watercolor of someone’s “good buddy,” Rocky, who recently passed away…I’m sure his owners are in the midst of their weeping time now and looking to God for comfort.

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2

All artwork displayed is under copyright, and is available in print & poster formats. Please comment here to order. To see other artwork by this writer, please visit www.FaithfulFriendsArt.com

Two

This is called “Two Buddies.” It’s a painting of my Mom’s dogs for her birthday this week. Happy Birthday, Mom!

What I believe is immediately evident in this watercolor is that the dog on the right, “Chief”, is much older, eyes clouded with cataracts and even a bout with skin cancer on the tip of his nose. The dog on the left, “Chica,” is younger, exceptionally playful and even a little annoying at times to Chief in her baiting for play.  She is good for him. She gets him moving, keeps him interested in something besides sleeping and eating and is a “pal” even though he growls his complaints at her quite often.

But he is also good for her. He is a challenge, someone from an older generation who requires prodding and prompting and ingenuity to get him to respond the way she wants.

As I care for my husband’s grandmother, who has ALS, and needs assistance ~ to “eat” through a tube, to adjust her pillows, to dress, to walk steady, to get up from bed ~ her need for me (or another caregvier) is obvious. But what is less obvious is the fact that I need her, too. Taking care of her fills a longing I’ve had since leaving behind our home, friends, church and ministries. Helping her has lifted me out of sadness and self-pity.

Giving help to others is not only good for one’s heart, soul and mind, but it glorifies the Lord when the sick, the infirm, the homeless, the needy, the difficult, the imprisoned, the orphaned, and even our very own family members are shown love in practical ways in His name. And when those opportunites present themselves to us, we need not be afraid of “the cost” but only know that the Lord will shower us with blessings when we step out in faith to love others.

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

All artwork displayed is under copyright, and is available in print & poster formats. Please comment here to order. To see other artwork by this writer, please visit www.FaithfulFriendsArt.com

Oh Happy Day!

(I know this Greeen Sea Turtle doesn’t exactly look “happy” but since I’m the one who painted him I know he really is. :) And, I think the ocean and its bright yet serene colors make  for a great “Happy Day” image. This watercolor was the design I used recently  on a poster I created for one of my daughter’s friends who, of course, likes turtles!)

You wouldn’t think that going to a funeral would make for a happy day.

Mostly it doesn’t. At any funeral it is difficult to say, “goodbye” and heart-wrenching to watch some try to cope with their loss. But, in my opinion, the very saddest of funerals are those where it appears that the deceased never made Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior.

Today our family went to the funeral of my husband’s Great Uncle, a sweet, funny and very brave man who was awarded not only the Purple Heart but also the Bronze Star for his exemplary service in the Second World War. His passing at 90 years of age meant the departure of yet another of what is called today, ”The Greatest Generation.” This dear Uncle lived a long, full and praiseworthy life yet his passing had left me very troubled, “Did he know the Lord Jesus Christ?” I wanted to know. I was particularly concerned because I myself had not made the effort to speak to this gentleman about the Lord before he died Monday morning. If he didn’t know the Lord, not only was he now suffering for eternity but it was, in part, my fault for not speaking the gospel to him.

So, with a burdened heart, we went to the funeral and I prayed for a sign from God to be assured that this man was in the arms of the Savior. I wasn’t given an answer right away. Not until after the funeral and the lunch that followed. Then, as we were leaving the restaurant to go home, I met a family member whose pastor had clearly proclaimed the pure message of salvation in Christ alone at the service earlier. So, of course, I wanted to gently find out what she knew about this Uncle’s salvation. As we spoke, this family member mentioned her own prior concerns about his salvation and how she’d found out that, prior to being wheel-chair-bound due to Parkinson’s, he had been on his knees every day for the last five years in prayer to the Lord.  Although he didn’t talk much about his faith, this was an assurance to her, and now, to me! My prayer for a sign had been answered and I could rejoice that I would (yes!) see this dear man in heaven one day!

As I said at the beginning of my post, “You wouldn’t think that going to a funeral would make for a happy day.” But, praise God, that was the case today. And this is the gospel song that played in my heart on the way home:

Oh, happy day!
Oh, happy day !
When Jesus washed
oh, when He washed
He washed my sins away!
Oh, happy day!

Oh Happy Day”  lyrics by Edwin Hawkins

All artwork displayed is under copyright, and is available in print & poster formats. Please comment here to order. To see other artwork by this writer, please visit www.FaithfulFriendsArt.com