a picture and a voice

It’s been months since I’ve painted.  I’ve felt a shift within me and I’m learning to recognize and respond to that sense, the painting has been on hold.  So, it’s also been  a while since I’ve felt much inspiration or seen any images in my head asking to be created.

Then, last night, as I began to drift off to sleep, I saw a picture in my mind, the kind of image that comes asking to be transformed to canvas.  It was a welcome notion and I prayed that the image would stick with me until the next day, when I could paint.

I went about my morning, not even considering those thoughts from the night before and it wasn’t until the little boy was quietly napping that I even remembered the picture in my head.   I quickly set up my neglected supplies and brought that image to life.

For an artist, the feeling of painting is powerful, it’s like nothing else and in that moment, I paused and thanked God for the inspiration that led me to create.  As I paused, reveling in the silence and in the wonder of our creator, I heard this, not audibly, but in my soul.

“You have something to share with the world.  You have something great within you.”

I’m so thankful for a God who reminds me of my purpose and my dreams, because when it’s been a long time since you’ve done the very things that make you feel so alive, it’s easy to feel like you just don’t know how to do them anymore. 

But the truth is this, you do…. and you can… and whatever it is matters.

That’s all.

{Liv