1 Peter 3:15 states, "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meek- ness and fear." Our Principal, at the school where I teach had asked me to draw a minuteman for him as it is our school's mascot. I ended up drawing two pictures as I ran out of room on the first one and could only draw to his waist. Where our school/church is located, minutemen would stop there on their way to Lexington, MA to prepare for fighting in the Revolutionary War, so that is the reason for the minuteman mascot. When I was thinking of a title for this drawing, I was reminded of how the minutemen were given their name. They had to be ready at a moment's notice to protect their families and their homeland. On a spiritual level, I am reminded that I need to be ready to give an answer for my faith in my Savior. That means I need to be in God's Word and to remember to let Christ be seen in me in all that I do. I need to be ready at a moment's notice as I fight a different battle...one for lost souls. What about you? Have you made Christ real in your life? Are you ready to give an answer to your faith in the One who gave His life for you? Maybe you haven't made Him real...what's stopping you? God's Plan of Salvation 1. All of us have sinned: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 2. Sin must be paid for: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life." Romans 6:23 3. Jesus Christ paid for our sins: "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 4. What must you and I do? "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Romans 10:13 5. How can we know that we are going to Heaven? "These things are written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life." 1 John 5:13
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I did this drawing for my husband. I really enjoyed working on it and praying for him. He loves farm life and I wanted to remind him that the Lord has blessed us in so many ways...ways that we might not even realize. I did this by drawing things that are special to him and to others. For the 'man thing', I included his love for John Deere tractors, farming and pigs. I also wanted to add more personal things from our life together. The apple trees represent our life together in New Hampshire, and the mouse going into the barn represents our many 'mouse stories'. I added sheep in the pasture to represent several things... myself, as I love sheep and our daughters as they are our precious little lambs that the Lord has blessed us with. There is one little lamb looking up towards Heaven along with three butterflies in front of her. This particular lamb represents our daughter, Gabriella Joy, who went to Heaven at birth. The three butterflies represent our little ones who are also waiting for us in Heaven. We never had the privilege of holding these precious ones as they went to Glory through the miscarriages I had. Last of all, the dog under the tree, is our first dog we had together. His name was Bruiser. Jeff loved him so much and still misses him. I also wanted to remind my husband, that even Bruiser was a blessing from the Lord. I hope we will take the time to remember the MANY blessings the Lord has given us, even the tough times. It is in the tough times, that the Lord will take our weaknesses and make them perfect through His strength in us.
I have some very dear friends who felt the Lord was leading them on a different path than the one they were already on. They took a large step of faith by resigning from the job that he was doing, putting their house up for sale and trusting the Lord to lead them in the direction He wanted them to go. The Lord provided for their needs in so many amazing ways. My friend helped me to organize and participate in an art show. At that time the Lord laid on my heart to paint a special picture for him and his wife as they planned to moved away from our beautiful state.
I love to have symbolism in the art work I do, as I want there to be a message bringing glory to my Lord. As I work on each art piece, whether it is in my studio or some other place, I love to listen to music. As I was listening to a specific song, I thought about my friends and all that they were going through and all of a sudden the Lord laid on my heart what needed to be painted and the message behind it. As I painted the path, it reminded me of the unknown path they were taking. They didn't know what road the Lord was leading them down but I wanted them to remember that the Lord was their Faithful, Enduring Friend, Patient Savior, Author and Healer of their soul. Not only were they traveling on an unknown path they were also going through some emotional trials. I painted a small stone on the path to remind them and everyone else that what we might see as a huge boulder (the unknown future, trying to sell a house in the middle of a recession, finances, etc) the Lord sees as a small stone that He can step over. I also wanted to encourage my friend that even though the unknown may seem scary at times especially as being the leader of his home, the Lord was there to see them through it all. In the painting, I had him walking towards the dark barn (representing the unknown future) but that the Lord (represented by the light shining in the barn) knows what is in the future and will see them through it. Outside the barn, his family was enjoying the different things the Lord had provided for them. I wanted them to remember to rest in the fact that the Lord does care. The Lord didn't want the two of them to be sidetracked by the pressures they were facing or lose out on the precious memories He was creating for them with their little family. Things like playing in the leaves, hiding behind a tree, enjoying an apple on a beautiful autumn day and the joy of picking apples with the whole family. As I finished the painting, I hoped they would realize that a part of me would go with it. I wanted them to know that the Lord would never leave them nor would He forsake them. He would see them through it all. His GRACE is so amazing!!! |
Karen's Artistic Thoughts
I decided as I was working on this website, that a blog would be a way to explain what goes through my mind as I work on each piece the Lord has laid on my heart. Archives
November 2022
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