Giving God the Glory!
There is only one great Artist, our Creator God, who has already designed the heavens and the earth and everything in them—from the smallest quark to galaxies too numerous to name. We human artists do not create . . . we can only humbly hope to convey a mere fragment of the overwhelming emotion we feel surrounded by God’s awesome majesty. Even the best artists among us are merely conduits through which the voice of God flows. There is no human originality, only a recombination of elements which might be unique to humans, but which have always been a part of God’s plan. For most of my art career, I have spent my time trying to understand the gift that God has given me. Mostly, I spent these years honing my craft and following the customary marketing route of self-promotion. I was honored and humbled that my paintings had won awards, been featured in national magazines, sold in galleries and collected by admiring appreciators---but the focus on my art, to the total exclusion of living life to its fullest---as God wishes for all of us---left my life empty, isolated and without purpose.
In February 2004, at the end of a dark tunnel, I finally gave up my self absorption and painful, foolish choices and placed my life and trust in the true Master of the Universe, our Savior, Jesus, the Christ. It has been a hard and glorious journey, as I have learned who to put my trust in, and who deserves the honor and glory for all that I am and all that I have. When I started putting Christ at the center of my life, instead of myself, seeking first the Kingdom of God, all else started falling into place. Praise God! I have a long way to go, but I am now on the right path. If you are in pain, if you are at the end of your road, if life doesn’t make sense anymore, if you think your sins are too awful to be forgiven, please know that you are loved by God, that your life has purpose, that you can be forgiven, no matter how awful the offense, that you can be a new creation in Christ, that Jesus is the shepherd of us all---that he loves his dirty stinking sheep and that he keeps calling to the lost, hoping to bring us all home to Him. I am a sinner and a living example of God’s grace and tender mercy; and even though I am not young, God still has a place and a purpose for me in His kingdom. I am still an artist, but I now give all the glory to God, to Jesus, the Christ, and He is making my path straight as I seek to follow Him.
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