Journey and Story Sharing Blog
Written by: journeyoncanvas
11/10/2016 4:43 AM
When you’re young, you’re often more afraid to share the truth about what you believe. This reluctance to share is often not all about fear, though. Sometimes, it’s due to an uncertainty about what you believe. As you move from person to person, what you believe changes like a chameleon. With maturity, you understand what’s true for you. You reach a point where you are ready to share the truth about what you believe. You do this even if the people around you don’t agree. You make friends with yourself even if you don’t make everyone your friend.
For the longest time, I couldn't look at my art and be satisfied. Most of the people around me like my work from 20 years ago better than they like what I make today. That's because I stuck to the rules back then so I could fit in. I made chameleon art to please others. I believe many people don't understand the artistic maturity behind how I made this painting work (see below). You try using all these elements (lace, paper, glitter, oil pastels, found objects, ink and acrylics) together and see what you can make. Chances are, you will have Macaroni Art. There's no shame in that: you have to start somewhere. But, you are remiss if you think that's what you see here. It took me a long time to get here and I'm done being ashamed. My goal is not to make you my friend. Instead, I share my art today to make friends with myself: to embrace the truth of what I believe and who I am. I find no shame in that.
We live in times where we receive a lot of animosity for what we believe. We find ourselves belonging in one group and being rejected by another. Or, we might find people are trying to convert us to their point of view. Every night, before I go to bed, I pray. In the morning, God uses me as best he can. I’m not perfect and I know it. Still, I go out and do my best to share what I believe is true. I do my best to do this without animosity for others. In fact, there is truth in what they share too. Together, we can refine what we believe to find a more polished truth. It’s not just what I share today that makes a difference. It’s what we share together that allows us to go to bed tonight and pray to gain more wisdom. In the morning, we can wake up and try again.
What do you have to share today? What can you learn from what others share? How can God use us today and polish truth so our world is better tomorrow? Share here at Journey on Canvas blog.
This is a painting of a chair with a pink cushion and swirly arms. I used lace, paper, glitter, oil pastels, found objects, ink, and acrylics (all at once) to make this painting.
When you’re young, you’re often more afraid to share the truth about what you believe. This reluctance to share is often not all about fear, though. Sometimes, it’s due to an uncertainty about what you believe. As you move from person to person, what you believe changes like a chameleon. With maturity, you understand what’s true for you. You reach a point where you are ready to share the truth about what you believe. You do this even if the people around you don’t agree. You make friends with yourself even if you don’t make everyone your friend.
For the longest time, I couldn’t look at my art and be satisfied. Most of the people around me like my work from 20 years ago better than they like what I make today. That’s because I stuck to the rules back then so I could fit in. I made chameleon art to please others. I believe many people don’t understand the artistic maturity behind how I made this painting work (see below). You try using all these elements (lace, paper, glitter, oil pastels, found objects, ink and acrylics) together and see what you can make. Chances are, you will have Macaroni Art. There’s no shame in that: you have to start somewhere. But, you are remiss if you think that’s what you see here. It took me a long time to get here and I’m done being ashamed. My goal is not to make you my friend. Instead, I share my art today to make friends with myself: to embrace the truth of what I believe and who I am. I find no shame in that.
We live in times where we receive a lot of animosity for what we believe. We find ourselves belonging in one group and being rejected by another. Or, we might find people are trying to convert us to their point of view. Every night, before I go to bed, I pray. In the morning, God uses me as best he can. I’m not perfect and I know it. Still, I go out and do my best to share what I believe is true. I do my best to do this without animosity for others. In fact, there is truth in what they share too. Together, we can refine what we believe to find a more polished truth. It’s not just what I share today that makes a difference. It’s what we share together that allows us to go to bed tonight and pray to gain more wisdom. In the morning, we can wake up and try again.
What do you have to share today? What can you learn from what others share? How can God use us today and polish truth so our world is better tomorrow? Share here at Journey on Canvas blog.
Journey on Canvas Blog: A Place to Share Hope on Your Journey
Journey on Canvas is a spiritual autobiography and spiritual journaling site. The Journey on Canvas Blog will give you ideas for your spiritual journal and give you opportunities to share your spiritual story. This blog is also a place to find hope on your journey. Read, blog with me, and enjoy!
Tears for Dancing, Age 42
The older I get the less I think about what I can get out of this life. Bad things happen here on Earth and no one is immune. I see my parents suffering, I watch terrible things happen to my friends and I see catastrophic events that create hell on Earth. Revelation 21:4 promises that someday God will wipe every tear from our eyes and the old order of things will pass away. I’m beginning to think that this promise isn’t so far away: it’s just waiting for us at the next stop. Maybe when we die we trade our tears for dancing and enter Heaven. Until then, I'm going to paint, I'm going to write, and I'm going to share when I find hope in this life. That's why I'm here at Journey on Canvas.
