Creating in Faith - Loss and purpose

At some point in your life you will experience loss.

 

I have been finding in my 40’s that there is an increase in people I know who have either passed or have illnesses with very serious prognosis.  You never imaging yourself to be in that position, can’t prepare for it and when it comes it leaves a hole that seems impossible to fill.   

Almost 20 years after my father passed I still have dreams about him in totally new situations. In the beginning the dreams would be of him during his illness.  As the dreams progressed he would get stronger until one dream he was lifting a wardrobe and I asked him if he could be more careful because of the illness, he laughed and told me he was fine.  In my most recent dream he came to my mum’s home and had a friend with him.  He was dressed really smart and looked like the picture I have of him in his younger days.  

 On waking I realised the friend he had with him was my mum when she was a young woman. 

The loss of a loved one takes time to come to terms with, the intense pain softens, you carry on, but you never forget.  I still think about my first son who passed at 3 days old, he would have been 23 now and I often wonder what he would have been doing now, thinking about all that he could have achieved with his life.  

While we can’t bring back those we have lost we can celebrate their lives, we rejoice at the lives they touched the impact they had on this world and we look to our own lives and hope that we too can make an impact on the lives of others and be the blessing we were called to be.   

I imagined as I got older I would be sharing more times of laughter with tales of grandchildren and aching joints, alongside the creative adventures with my good friend Barbara who I had known since I was 16 and who passed in 2011 and is so dearly missed.  

 From time to time I dwell on the shared experiences, and conversations we had about our journey as artists, the love she gave to her family and the love she shared with others.

 me and Barbara in our early 20's

Ecclesiastes tells us that there is a time for everything and everything in its season: 

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot, 

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

As we draw close to the end of the year, let us make a decision to live our lives on purpose.  Take hold of 2013 and aim to make an impact on your own life and that of others.  Whilst we will continue over the years at some point to suffer loss, let us hold on to the blessings that each individual life shared with us and celebrate their memories with joy, and let us live our lives to the full and not take one more day for granted.

  He gives strength to the weary, and to him who lacks might He increases power...Isaiah 40:29

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Creating in Faith - Foundation

Having a good foundation allows you to know that you are standing on something solid.  A house won't last if it doesn't have the correct foundation, before long it will collapse and with the slightest wind fall over.   

 

In bringing up our children we want to pass on our wisdom, we don't want them to experience the hardships that we might have faced, but we know that there are lessons they must learn for themselves.  With a solid foundation we equip them with the tools they need while at home so when they go out into the world and have to stand on their own feet they are prepared. As a child my father used to encourage us to carry ourselves with a certain amount of grace, and confidence as we never knew what opportunity we could be stepping into.

As artists we spend many years learning techniques, making them our own, deciding those that we will hold on to and those we will let go.  Sharing with other artists and being a support to those who embark on the road that we have gone down.  It is building on that foundation that enables us to define our style. 

In our spiritual lives our foundation is the word of God.  The bible tells us to renew our minds; it’s not a ‘one off’ but a regular practice so that when the time comes and our faith is knocked, we are able to stand because we have that solid foundation.  Building on our foundation begins at home, with the practices and the habits we foster.  I hope as my son grows up to be a man that he looks back on the foundations that we tried to lay for him and is able to reach back into many nuggets of wisdom we gave him.  Stay blessed!

Thinking of your life are there any areas could more effective and what can you now do to give it a more solid foundation. 

No longer will you have the sun for light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; but you will have the Lord for an everlasting light..Isaiah 60:19

So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who relies on it  will never be stricken with panic.  Isaiah 28:16

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Creating in Faith - Understanding (Special Request)

Good fortune can fall on the just and the unjust in equal measure, we know not when or where disaster will strike.

This week my brother was rushed to hospital, they had found elevated levels of calcium in his blood, he hadn't eaten for 3 days and was very weak.  The doctors did their tests, scans, mri's and  have come to the conclusion that multiple myeloma is back.  After his bone marrow transfusion, chemo and radio therapy last year we thought there would be at least a 10 year gap before we would have to worry about it, unfortunately the reports say no.

I tried  to understanding why 'our family'.  Why mum with dementia, Robert with this cancer and my father passing 20 years ago with an unknown illness.  There seems to be so many that have been struck down, we seem to be in a generation now where our parents were when we were younger when we can count the passing of friends and relatives that we know being affected by some illness or the other.

After getting the news I felt washed out, what words of encouragement could I offer to him when all I wanted to do was cry, as I sat thinking the words that came to me were, ‘....the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much’ James 5:16.   It was then that I understood what I needed to do.  My tears cannot bring a cure but prayer can.  Despite it all we have to stand firm on the word of God.  There can be no compromises, no excuses, though at times our faith can be shaken by the very circumstances, I have found a renewed strength in the word.

I am not one who normally likes to ask for help, but the word says...were two or three come together ... I know that there will be strength in our prayers as we come together.  I ask you now to join with me in prayer for a miraculous healing for my brother Robert, and for his family, 3 children and wife.   We have to stand on the word of God, have faith and believe that we have the victory over defeat.  I would thank you in advance for taking the step for I know that God is working in all our lives and as we continue to move in faith,  a change will come and we will be blessed beyond our wildest dreams. 

As you go about your week, along with prayer ask God to enable you to understand the impact that your very gifts which you sometimes hide can, if nurtured, be a blessing.  Create a journal page or piece of art that expresses this.

Therefore I remind you to stir up the gifts of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind 2 Timothy 1:6-7

If you would like to see how I made the book mark pockets check out the post Bookmark Pockets

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Creating in Faith - Belief

Whose report do you believe?  It can be far easier to accept a negative comment and spend time mulling over in your mind how someone could say or think that about us and we spend days going over the conversation even delving to the depths to ask ourselves what is wrong with us. 

When someone says something encouraging or complimentary do you find yourself going over this in your mind, agreeing with the positive comment about your life in the same way as the negative?  The chances are you don’t. We have all had times when somebody says something nice about what your wearing and before you say thank you start to put yourself down and say “this old thing, I’ve had it for years” you feel uncomfortable when people say good things about you and for every positive comment you can probably find 100 negative ones.    

Last year I did a course called Crafting my best life, and one of the exercises was ask 5 people (friends and family) what they loved, valued and admired about you.  I initially had difficulty with the thought of asking these questions, you know that they care for you but sometimes you get lost in the well of ‘stuff’  and can’t see the good things that others see and think about you.  I was really touched by the response and have put these reminders in a place for times when I forget my strengths and can only see my faults, for those times when all seems like it is lost and I get lost in the ‘stuff’ because I know that these times will pass for I am fearfully and wonderfully made!

Despite what you feel about yourself there are others that wished they were in the same room as you, could receive a smile or kind word from you, and who are really inspired by you and your creativity and find you a blessing. 

As you go about your day to day this coming week think about 3 things you love about yourself and 3 things you admire and place these in a prominent place and look at them every day.   How can you express these in your art journal or another creative way.  Please share your thoughts   Blessingsx

In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight...Proverbs 3:6

 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.   John 3:16

Creating in Faith - Trust

What do you do when someone abuses your trust, how does it make you feel and what actions can you take to prevent it from happening again? Does forgiving mean that you allow them the space to change and back into your life? Do you constantly wonder if and when they will do it again, or do you keep them at arm’s length? How far does your trust go?

When we are young we have limited power to prevent some of the hurtful things that can happen, but as you grow up you begin to get a sense of yourself can exercise your power to decide who to allow into your space. Last year I took Melody Ross’s Soul Restoration workshop and it looks at the restoration of you, comparing your life to a house and the action of clearing out your space - deciding who to let into your home, through the front gate or even who just walks past the gate and says hello!   The post man delivers letters through your letter box he doesn’t come in the back door, put the post on the table, make himself a cup of tea while searching through the cupboards to see if you have those chocolate biscuits he likes....(well mine doesn’t).   We decide and should have control over the atmosphere and energy we surround ourselves in especially in the space that should be our sanctuary – our homes!

 How many times have you been hurt by someone you thought cared for you and you let back into your life only to have them stomp and trample over your feelings. We DO have to forgive and the bible says in Ephesians 4:32 “be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you”  I feel that the benefits of not having negative energy and abuse in my personal space and surrounding myself with supportive people far outweighs the value of the relationship I could have with someone who really doesn’t care about me.

We have to use discernment, the bible tells us to “speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord” Ephesians 5:19, but you can’t do that if your cussing and carrying on. At the end of the day you can’t have a relationship without trust, and as you go about the coming week, think of times where you knew you should and can make different choices, based on the different levels of trust needed for the situation.  Blessings...

If you would like to see how I made the book mark pockets check out the post Bookmark Pockets

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!

Creating in Faith - Faith

We have faith about things that don’t even require us to even think about and often take them for granted.  Unless you have a respiratory problem you know without a doubt that you will inhale and exhale and that all the functions of the body will take place without very much assistance from us.  Depending on where we live in the world we know that night will follow day, and the seasons, as unpredictable as they have been will follow some sort of order.....

We have faith that God is working in our lives.  We know that there is a God who never fails, who carries us in times of need, and waits on us in times of plenty.  We can think back on things that really tested our faith and when we thought we couldn’t take it any longer an answer comes, though at times it might not be the answer that we are expecting!   

There have been times in my life where my faith was tested through ill health, death of loved ones and confusion and I know that there will be many other times where I will have to stand on his word, and I look back and wonder how I got through it.  It is in these times where I have to learn to step out in faith, knowing that despite the circumstances or what is being said I will not let go, and it is that mustard seed faith that will see me through.

In what ways can you think of where your faith has been tested? Produce a journal page which speaks to you about your faith   What scriptures around faith have you found to be encouraging?

Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

If you would like to see how I made the book mark pockets check out the post Bookmark Pockets

Come join the group - Creating in Faith, show us how you will be incorporating the words and scriptures and reflections in your art this week.  Step out and be a blessing and you will also be blessed!