Thoughts to share.....

A new journal to share. I was asked by one of my dear friends to create a special journal as a gift for a mutual friend who is special to us both. You can click on the image to enlarge.

It was good to experience the moving of my heart through creating again this week....to remember what it is that I love to do and why I love to do it. In all honesty, this last year brought many heartaches and challenges into my life that I have quietly been moving through. There have been times when I have been tempted to walk away from all of my creative endeavors and set aside this relentless passion and vision for sharing art as an expression and tool for the healing journey. But despite seasons that call me away again and again....the unexpected pain of losing loved ones, family and parenting challenges and transitions, health issues or the revelations of new layers of my own story again...the release of writing, art and music calls me back again and again. God won't let me give up. He reminds me to keep going and to keep coming back to the gifts He gave me for my own healing. He reminds me to keep sharing the gift of artistic expression. It brings me joy and hope when it can feel like they are in short supply. We must let go for a time in the seasons where our vision isn't so clear anymore or we are unsure of the next step. Our dreams need to be allowed to ebb and flow, to morph and be reshaped. If we allow it, the difficult times add a new depth and authentic dimension to our passions. But we can't give up. Its good to take breaks and rest. It is wise to give ourselves permission to step away and listen and rejuvenate when our hearts are breaking or we are just tired. But don't give up.

Don't give up what it is you know in the deepest part of your soul that God has inspired you to do. Our concept of time and what should happen in its constraints is so radically different than the way God sees time. There is time to wait. There is time to rest, to question, to grieve, to learn, to heal, to reevaluate, to begin again. There is time. The right direction is still through the difficulties and not around them. God's timing, despite my argueing and questioning seems to always turn out to be the right timing. So if you find yourself feeling like obstacles keep gettng thrown into your path, that steps are unclear and that walking away seems easier...dont' give up. Come back to what inspires you and gives you life even if for just a small moment today. Come back to yourself. Come back to who you are and what God uniquely gave you to do that brings the breath of healing back into your body, mind and spirit. Do one small, encouraging, next right thing. In God's time you will know what to do with everything else that screams for clarity, resolution and direction. God never leaves us even when we feel we are wandering. In the meantime...breathe in the present day. Despite all that may be happening inside and out...don't give up. You will be given what you need...just for today.

I heard this song today and was encouraged by the words, the melody and the images it invoked. I hope it will inspire your dreams today. Please turn the music off that is playing on my blog before viewing (on the lower right sidebar "playlist").