Intentional
in my previous post i shared how i am focusing this year on spending more time in god’s word and prayer. as i was doing so this morning, i realized there is a word i did want to focus on this year (i’m already changing my mind from my previous comments about determining a word for the year! go figure!). the word is “intentional” and i am excited about putting it into practice in so many areas of my life.
As I shared before, giving my life to Christ in my teens set my course in life and I could not be more grateful. This decision made sure I married a man who loves the Lord and has intentionally led our family in doing the same. It led me into my love of art and gave me opportunities I never dreamed I would have.
It gave me the strength to enjoy the great times and the fortitude to make it through the hard ones. As I continue to grow in years and my faith, I continue to realize how important being “intentional” in my walk with Him has become. it’s so easy to be distracted with projects, etc., that I can push this time further and further into my day. Next thing i know - it’s bedtime and my time with him has once again passed by. I know that my time with him has to be protected if I am to continue to grow into the women he desires - age has no limits on how god wants to teach and use us.
Being “intentional” will grow me into becoming even more creative in my artwork, ensure I am “intentional” about my time with my students, “intentional” about the projects I create and most importantly, how In the coming year I will be more “intentional” about what I create, how I share it and pray about how it will be used in the lives who receive it.
My faith has always been a part of who I am. I can’t imagine life without it. I grew up going to church every Sunday and being a part of a loving and supportive community. My parents served in various positions throughout their lives and I saw the importance they placed on their faith. My mom especially impacted my decision to follow in her steps and when God came knocking on my heart, I accepted his invitation. I’m not saying my decision to follow him has not been tested - it has, many times, but when I’ve been faced with these tests, God has shown himself to me in ways I might not otherwise have known. This is how faith grows - in the good and the bad times.
My art has always been a way for me to express who I am and my faith. My mom was very creative and artistic so I get my love of art probably from her. She was an amazing seamstress and made all my clothes while she was able to. Her sense of color was impressive as she could walk in a fabric store and choose a spool of thead that was a perfect match to what she was sewing at the time. Both she and my dad encouraged me in my art. At that time, There weren’t many parents encouraging careers in art. I often heard, “you can’t make a living in art” but my parents never embraced that statement - and thank goodness they didn’t. In fact, that statement made me more determined to prove all those skeptics wrong! And I did! I had a wonderful, thriving careen in art. Every time Greg was moved for his job, God provided a great opportunity for me. Greg is a meteorologist and I am an artist - God really had his work cut out keeping us both employed in our chosen careers - but He did! And still To this day when I hear that art is not a sustainable career, I become even more stubborn in proving the myth wrong!
I am retired now and i have a studio that i create in and teach students out of almost everyday of the week. I love creating and the wheels are always turning in my head for the next project I plan to approach. Retirement has not slowed me down and as long as I am able, i will continue to create as God inspires me!
So for now, i will close by committing to be “intentional” about my artistic endeavors, my time with him and how I continue to grow spiritually and artistically in the coming year. I hope you too can be inspired to to the same!
And remember - stay teachable!