Let It Shine

The page shown above has two separate component illustrations.  The first, is illustrated in the upper right corner, and is what I'll be talking about today.  I'll discuss the 2nd part tomorrow.

Today's piece is taken from Matthew 5:16 - "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven". (NAS)  When contemplating this verse, I was drawn to compare it to Matthew 6:1 "Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. . . "  Actually the first 8 verses of Matthew 6 repeat this theme in different ways.  At first glance, this seems contradictory.  Let your light shine, versus, don't let your right hand know what your left is doing.  How can both be true?  Closer reading suggests the focus is NOT on WHAT you are doing, but rather on WHY you are doing it.  What is your motive?  

In trying to better understand these concepts, I pondered Jesus's example.  As we read about His life, we see so many examples where He did not condemn people, but LOVED them.  And He spent hours in prayer - but at night while others were sleeping.  And yet, there were times where He was quite public and I found myself a bit confused.  While I am VERY grateful for Jesus' example, I still find myself wondering a bit about how to live both sides of this coin.  

Then I was reminded of my grandmother.  She truly lived these words.  She WAS a light that shone very brightly, but she didn't flout her good works or her "righteousness" and she didn't preach to people.  Instead she simply lived a quiet life of loving people where they were and doing what she could to brighten their lives.  You knew that she had contact with her Heavenly Father and sought His will in her life - not because she told you about all the good things she did or all her conversations with Him - but because of the LOVE she LIVED every day.  

I miss my grandmother very much, but am very grateful for her example.  I think that using her as a starting place enables me to get a better feel for the truths Jesus was discussing here.  And I'm sure that as I continue to study, I will one day more fully understand Jesus' life in this context as well.

As I look back at my picture, and the words "Let It Shine", I realize another way to put it would be "Let HIM shine" (through me).  

Father, I am so grateful for the way you bring things to mind to help me understand what you would have me see each day!  Thank you for your love and the way you work through human beings to help us better understand your love.  Thank you for the loving example my grandmother was to me.  And thank you for the incredible examples of Jesus love.  Father, please work in me to better learn how to let my light shine in such a way that YOU are glorified.  May I seek YOUR will and YOUR glory rather than my own.  Certainly we have no greater example of someone seeking YOUR will and YOUR glory than that of Jesus and I am SO grateful for the willingness and love He showed in coming to this earth and living and dying as He did. Thank you for the knowledge, based on what He taught and showed us, that YOU also love us very much.  Father, I am so grateful to be your adopted daughter!  Thank you for all you are doing in my life.  I love you, Father!

Don't worry saying "What shall we eat?"

Today I continued with the passage I looked at yesterday.  As often happens, I saw something more today that I hadn't understood yesterday.  :)  I started out (as you can see with the illustration) thinking about the part that says, "don't worry about what you should wear - see how God arrays the grass of the field - will he not much more do so for you" (paraphrase mine). 

As I was coloring the text, these words really stood out:

"Do not be anxious then, saying 'What shall we eat?'"  Matthew 6:31

I've always read that to basically be saying, "God will provide - you'll have enough to eat."  I am grateful that while there have been times where we truly didn't know that we'd have food to eat (a great opportunity to see a variety of ways God provides for us), that currently is not an issue.  God's provided plenty of selection in local stores - and money with which to purchase it.  Thank you, God! So at first glance, I said to myself, "Oh, I don't worry about that!"  

However, that still small voice whispered to me - Cheryl, you DO worry about "What shall you eat".  Of course, that voice was right.  I DO worry about it - in TWO other ways!

First, there's the simple coming up with what to fix for each meal.  It's just plain not so simple for me.  I can have a really hard time figuring out what to fix!  It seems that to figure out well-balanced menu plans takes SOOO long.  But I'm reminded "Seek first His kingdom and it will be added".

Secondly, I worry about the food itself.  There is so much information about foods that are good for me and foods that aren't (often contradictory).  And then even with the "good" foods, how are they grown and prepared for market (pesticides, food poisoning, etc.)  And with my added concerns about my weight, there's LOTS to worry about there!  But I'm told "Don't worry about what you should eat!"  And that quiet voice once again directs me to a couple more passages.

"One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them." Romans 14:2,3 NIV.  Wow!  Sometimes I'm BOTH of those people!  Part of me says, "eat what is provided with thanksgiving and praise" - while another part says, "but that food is too high in carbs, that food, is too high in fat, that food is . . . "  And if I eat it, I judge myself, and if I don't eat it I judge myself! 

 

"Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." Acts 10:15 NIV.  Do I believe God?  Am I willing to trust Him with my food and not worry about it?  Do I believe that when I ask God to bless the food I'm eating that He IS DOING SO - that he is making it "clean"? 

Father, thank you for your love and guidance. Forgive me for my judgements about the food you provide. May I simply allow myself to be led by you in my food choices, and may I eat what you provide with thanksgiving and praise and with TRUST that you have indeed "made it clean".  Thank you for providing for me as you do each day!  I love you, Father!

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For information about what I did to create this page, check here.

Consider . . .

I've mentioned in previous posts my natural inclination to worry.  Today's passage is another that stands to remind me to let go of anxiety and trust God instead:

"That's why I'm telling you to stop worrying about your life - what you will eat or what you will drink - or about your body - what you will wear.  Life is more than food isn't it, and the body more than clothing?  Look at the birds in the sky.  They don't plant or harvest or gather food into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  You are more valuable than they are, aren't you?  Can any of you add a single hour to the length of your life by worrying?  And why do you worry about clothes?  Consider the lilies in the field and how they grow.  They don't work or spin yarn, but I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was clothed like one of them.  Now if that is the way God clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and thrown into an oven tomorrow, won't he clothe you much better - you who have little faith?  So don't ever worry by saying, 'What are we going to dring?' or 'What are we going tow wear?' because it is unbelievers who are eager for all those things.  Surely your heavenly Father knows that you need all of them!  But first be concerned about God's kingdom and his righteousness, and all of these things will be provided for you as well.  Matthew 6:25-33 ISV

I am so grateful that I can indeed trust my heavenly Father to provide what I need.

Father, thank you so much for your loving care.  I look at the flowers and birds and see their incredible beauty and know that you are a creative God that loves beautiful things.  Obviously, not only can I trust you to provide clothing and furnishing that are comfortable and serviceable, but that are beautiful as well!  I look at the multitude of foods you provide and realize similarly, that you enjoy providing a variety of food that tastes good!  Thank you, Father.  As I "consider the lilies", I am so aware that you didn't have to provide the beauty and variety we see in the world around us.  You could have simply made things functional.  But I'm so grateful for the abundant variety you've created and love being able in small part to participate in your creative spirit.

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For information on the creation of this page, check out the post on my papercrafting blog. 

Good Gifts

Looking at Romans 8:28 the last couple of days, took me to Matthew 7:11 today.  I guess it's really verses 9-11 where Jesus makes it clear that God gives GOOD gifts to his children.  Because this verse is just a very small portion of the very powerful "Sermon on the Mount" that Jesus gave, I knew there would be many more things I wanted to journal about on this page, so decided to just do a very simple piece for this verse, leaving room for others.  (In fact, I was so sure I'd want to illustrate a lot of chapters 5-7 of Matthew that I prepped all pages from Matthew 4:9 to Matthew 7:16 with Gesso so they'd be ready when I was!) You can't see it very well in the picture, but this entry is quite sparkly, with sparkles highlighting not only the gift, but also the words "GOD", "GOOD", and "LOVE", which I see as the focal points of this passage.

I'm so enjoying doing this sort of artistic illustration of the Bible texts!  Sometimes, I think that we as humans tend to think that if it's fun, it must be WRONG!  To me, this verse makes it clear that my Father God wants me to ENJOY life - especially my time with Him.  I'm reminded of several other verses that tell me something similar - "Oh taste and see that the Lord is GOOD" (Psalms 34:8), several verses that indicate that God wants me to rejoice before Him (Deut 26:11, Philippians 4:4 & several others) and several verses that talk about Jesus wanting our joy to be "full" (for example, John 15:11, John 16:24).

Father, I am SOOOO grateful that you are such a loving father!  I am SOOOO grateful that you give GOOD gifts!  Thank you for your love, for the creative spark you've put within me, and the fun we are having together as I explore this new type of experience with you.  I love you, Father!

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Materials used: 

• Gesso - Art Basics Clear Gesso - applied with Ranger mini-applicator
• Blue - Distress ink applied with a water brush
• Silver - Perfect Pearls applied with a water brush
• Black -Stazon Ink & stamps (JustRite "Holiday Cheer Ornaments", Stampabilities mounted stamp)
• Glitz - Wink of Stella (on package, the word "good" in the text, and the words "GOD", "GOOD", and "LOVE")
  

ALL Things - even the small ones!

Yesterday I wrote a bit about my birthday text.  Today I did some more work on that same page, adding more concepts that I find relate to my special text.  Here is what the whole page looks like at this point:

As you can see, my focus today was on the GOOD in ALL things and GIVING THANKS in every situation.  Sometimes we tend to think God only speaks to us for the big decisions in our lives, but I've come to understand that he cares even about the minutia.  He says even the hairs on our heads are numbered! (Matthew 10:30, Luke 12:7)  I don't know about you, but I don't even care enough to count all the hairs on my head - it seems way too unimportant to bother with!  But that is just one example of how much God cares about us.  Nothing about us is too unimportant to Him!  And today He showed me that once again.

I had ordered a Bible that looked like it would be really nice for this sort of journaling, but it will take several weeks for me to get it and I was eager to get started with this new way of interacting with God.  So, I went through all my Bibles, looking for one that had a wide enough margin for this work - and I found a New American Standard "International Inductive Study Bible" that I've had for years.  That's the one I'm currently using, and I'm finding it works really well EXCEPT that I'd really like an attached ribbon marker to keep my place!  (This actually is something folks have mentioned is missing on the Bible I ordered as well.)  

Today as my husband and I were sharing devotional time, I happened to notice the ribbon marker in his Bible, and realized how easy it would be to add to mine.  So after we were finished, I immediately came to my office/craft room and started working on the project.  I decided while I was at it I might as well add several more ribbon markers while I was at it!

I found some lovely metallic ribbons and measured each one the length I wanted it - adding a couple of inches to allow for it to hang down into the spine of the Bible.  For each one I cut a pointed end at what would be the visible end, and just cut it straight across for the end that would be hidden in the spine.  I then used "Fray Check" (small bottle of liquid available at your fabric store) on the ends of each ribbon to help keep them from unraveling.  Next I held the ribbon out to see where it should connect to the spine & marked that spot.  I used my ATG with it's double-sided adhesive to add adhesive from the marked spot to the end of the ribbon (the part that would hang down inside the spine).  I then carefully opened the bible and pulled out the backing from the spine as much as possible so I could lower the adhesive backed end in next to the spine.  One at a time, when I got each were I wanted it, I closed the Bible and pressed against the spine to adhere the tape to the inside spine.  When all were in place, I took a needle with gold thread and carefully sewed the ribbons tightly to the spine at the top.  That's all it took!  Pretty quick and easy and ready to use.  Here are some pictures:

 Ribbons as sewn - before pulling into the Bible as bookmarks.

 Ribbons hanging out the end as they form the bookmarks.

Father, thank you that you care so much about me that even the little things matter!  I know I can only BEGIN to comprehend your love for me, but what I DO understand amazes me.  I am so grateful!  Thank you for being such a source of joy and inspiration.  And most of all, thank you for your amazing love!  I love you, Father.

ALL things work together for GOOD

One of the things I've been thinking about recently is how much God has given me in the way of insight into how he wants me to proceed in my life - and how often, when I re-read things I've written as a result of such inspiration, I realize how poorly I've incorporated those insights!  So, I've been thinking about ways to more deeply embed these insights into my daily life. 

Recently, I came across the idea of artistic Bible journaling and realized this could be a way to combine my love of the creative with my desire to deepen my relationship with the CREATOR.  When I started this blog I had thought I'd be scrapbooking about various of these concepts, but it just never seemed to happen.  Now though, the idea of actually creating the art in my Bible really inspires me.  It seems more "do-able" than making a scrapbook page each time I'm inspired by something I read or experience in my journey with God. But it's also a little scary.  Messing up a random papercraft project is one thing.  Messing up a Bible page is something else again! :)  (Oh yes, God has been speaking to me a great deal about my perfectionism and I recognize this as one more "lesson" on that particular topic!)

Knowing Bible pages to be very delicate, I wanted to start by learning all I could from those who have been journaling in this way for some time, so I started out with the free classes offered by Rebekah Jones on Scrapbook.com. This took me to her blog where she has lots of great challenges & techniques posted.  From there I searched the web and found plenty of other examples and ideas.  You can check out my pintrest page to see some of what I've found.  For a description of supplies and methods used on this page, you can check out the post on my papercrafting blog here.  In THIS blog post I'll talk a bit about what this page means to me in my walk with God.

I decided to "dip my toe" into this type of Bible journaling by starting to journal about a text that has been MY text for as long as I can remember.  It is Romans 8:28 - "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God. . . " NAS.  Since my birthday is 8/28, I call this my birthday text - and it has been an important reminder to me throughout my life.  

I seem to have been BORN with a strong tendency to worry about things - and this tendency has often tried to hinder me from living the joyful life God intends for me.  Through the years, this text has served to remind me that NO MATTER WHAT happens, God will not only help me survive it, but will actually make it work for my GOOD.  Time and time again throughout my life, this concept has been VERY important for me to remember.  I've seen plenty of miracles as God has taken painful and/or scary experiences (real or imagined) in my life and brought victory & joy from them.  I wanted this page to serve as a visual reminder to me about that, knowing that in my humanness, there's a strong likelihood that I'll need the reminder in the future. :)

As I contemplated what this verse had meant to me through the years, a song I learned in childhood came to mind - "Why worry when you can PRAY?" This song - and question - often comes to mind when I am facing challenges in my life - God's way of reminding me that He's in charge and working for my good.

Matthew 7:11 reminds me that God gives GOOD GIFTS to his children. Joy and peace in any circumstance is the promised outcome of holding on in FAITH, beliving that God is telling the truth to me in Romans 8:28.

Anyway, there you have it - a simple start to a page that's full of reminders of God's love for me and the value of prayer and faith on my part.  Much like God's work in my life, this page remains unfinished, waiting for the next step to be revealed, but you can read some examples of the impact of this verse in my life in these posts: Thank You, 7 Times Each Day, Without What?, Thankful in All Things, Life - or Knowledge of Good and Evil. (And these are just the most recent.  There are lots more if you check out "Romans" under "Bible References" - right-hand column of this blog.)

Father, I am so grateful for your leading in my life.  Thank you for this new way to interact with you as I continue to seek to know you better and deepen my relationship with you.  I love you Father!