A year ago I would have denied being an artist.
An artist paints beautiful images that wow people. I could only draw things I’ve seen in my head, but it never looked right to me. I was not an artist; I just messed around with it.
Today I am proud to say I am an artist, because I know it is my gift from God. Except for junior high school, I’ve had no training. But I know now that what I put on paper has been designed by God.
Take, for example, my last two drawings. The first drawing shows Jesus holding a child in His arms. When I drew it, I was going through a great deal of turmoil. Because of abuse and rejection in my life, I felt like no one ever loved me. I was a throw-away kid.
Then inside my heart Jesus gave me the image of that child in the picture – me, held and loved by Jesus.
My second picture illustrates Jesus surrounded by children. At first, I thought it was a picture of the kids that died before their time, but God showed me the picture was actually me before I lived on earth. Before He sent me to earth, He held me in His arms and showed me around Heaven.
Heaven is filled with so much color, you can’t imagine. It’s cheerful and full of life. God is not into boring.
Jesus wanted me to see the beauty of heaven before I had to see the blackness of earth. On earth I would see so much abuse and evil, I needed a glimpse of heaven so I could remember how much Jesus loves me.
In that picture, I sit with the One who loves me so much, the one who knew my heartache before I was born.
I’ve been so angry with God, because I thought He didn’t care. He just threw me to the wolves on earth and watched as they hurt me.
But through the picture, He showed me I was wrong. All the children sitting around me are abused children, too. He did care about us, before we were even conceived in our mothers’ wombs (Psalm 139:13). In heaven, we had no worries about earth, because all we knew was Jesus.
Maybe that’s why I’ve never liked my paintings. I’ve seen colors through Jesus’ eyes, and our colors can’t compare. Even His eyes are full of colors. That’s how I know my artistic gift is from Jesus. His eyes are unforgettable.
What a God we have!
If you have been abused and hurt beyond all earthly comfort, then just look at my picture and put yourself into it. What Jesus did for me, I am positive He has done for you. If there were words to the picture, I’m sure you would hear the small voices of each child, singing glory to the Lord God Almighty.
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©2013 GateWay of Hope Ministries – written by a GateWay woman and used with permission