"When the morning falls on the farthest hill I will sing His name, I will praise Him still. When dark trials come and my heart is filled with the weight of doubt, I will praise Him still. For the Lord, our God, He is strong to save from the arms of death, from the deepest grave. And He gave us life in His perfect will and by His good grace I will praise Him still"
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(song lyrics by Fernando Ortega)
Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
Luke 12:24
I have created this painting completely out of my comfort zone and typical genre to illustrate a point...to myself.
I remember a time when my son was a small boy. Being such a sweet, sensitive creative spirit lead to him wanting to wear something a bit odd one day.
I understood his sensitivity and love of people, and appreciated that his choice of clothing was based on his own aesthetic sense and not peer direction...nor my own preference. I permitted him to wear this odd little outfit he put together. In certain circumstances maybe it wouldn’t have been odd, but where we were headed I knew there would be kids who would probably tease him because they were proud of themselves or maybe even jealous...or simply because he looked different...and because it had happened so many times before...maybe it was a habit. It would have been easier for my little guy to specifically NOT choose the clothing he did, based on this previous harassment, but he had thought it through and his clothing was his own choice. We certainly didn’t look like we belonged together or were headed to the same place. I was in proper mommy-wear. I knew his heart, and I was a witness to the love and care he felt for his friends - his clothing did not matter to me.
Sure enough, we walked into the event and immediately someone condemned my son for what he was wearing. He was asked many times times why he wore what he did. Somehow, surface issues were being equated with heart issues. My son had been trying to rehearse positive answers prior to arriving there, rather than the sarcasm that would have been so much easier. After a couple repeats of “why? Why? WHY?” - I walked closer and leaned in to whisper “I wanted him to wear this because it matches the clothes I picked out for myself that are just like these...unfortunately they didn't have my size."
I remember a time when my son was a small boy. Being such a sweet, sensitive creative spirit lead to him wanting to wear something a bit odd one day.
I understood his sensitivity and love of people, and appreciated that his choice of clothing was based on his own aesthetic sense and not peer direction...nor my own preference. I permitted him to wear this odd little outfit he put together. In certain circumstances maybe it wouldn’t have been odd, but where we were headed I knew there would be kids who would probably tease him because they were proud of themselves or maybe even jealous...or simply because he looked different...and because it had happened so many times before...maybe it was a habit. It would have been easier for my little guy to specifically NOT choose the clothing he did, based on this previous harassment, but he had thought it through and his clothing was his own choice. We certainly didn’t look like we belonged together or were headed to the same place. I was in proper mommy-wear. I knew his heart, and I was a witness to the love and care he felt for his friends - his clothing did not matter to me.
Sure enough, we walked into the event and immediately someone condemned my son for what he was wearing. He was asked many times times why he wore what he did. Somehow, surface issues were being equated with heart issues. My son had been trying to rehearse positive answers prior to arriving there, rather than the sarcasm that would have been so much easier. After a couple repeats of “why? Why? WHY?” - I walked closer and leaned in to whisper “I wanted him to wear this because it matches the clothes I picked out for myself that are just like these...unfortunately they didn't have my size."
Silence.
A nice little story about Mommy & her little boy…except that my little boy is 15 and this happened recently.
It wasn’t an odd outfit, it was an all-black outfit…with a skull motif on the pants pocket (oh my).
This boy-in-black knows his God and serves Him with all his heart. He leads a pure life and knows he is called to be a Light in a dark world. He has learned to be in the world and not of the world. His Lord has taught him to ‘go therefore, making disciples of all nations…’ and as a young man he is seeking the lost and meeting them where they are at. He often wears black, and his face shines bright with the light of Christ. Those who dwell the culture of darkness are his ‘all nations’ where he seeks to make disciples...whatever they look like. It is all a matter of the heart.
"Romans Raven": I stepped out of my whimsical and bright paintbox and created a piece I love tremendously. It is dedicated to all who are judged and criticized unjustly. You are loved with an ever lasting love - no one can separate those who respond to the love of God from the love of God. ~ xo
pressing on, pressing in ... even when it hurts so much
~katey
Please see my current eBay auctions to see more photos of this painting: this auction ends March 27th
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