Since I was a little girl, I have enjoyed drawing. I have never taken art classes other than what was required in grade school. Even so, somehow, my drawing seems to get better with time. Even though I have really enjoyed drawing, I haven't done a whole lot of it over the years. I always had an excuse as to why I didn't. Two Summers ago, I had the privilege to go on a mission trip to Alaska. It was there that God showed me some things about the talent He had given me. I had been hiding my talent, keeping it from most everyone and only showing those that were closest to me, but even that was limited. When I was in Alaska, we were working at the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and they had vending tables set up during the events. As I went around admiring the creativity of these people, I was hit with a revelation. These people were sharing talents with the world and people were blessed by it, they were not hiding it. I had always thought that by showing my art to people I was being prideful, vain and conceited. As I continued to walk around looking at all the creativity, I realized that I didn't think that these people were being prideful, they were sharing their talents, something so vulnerable, to the World. A few hours later I felt that I wanted to bless a particular Eskimo woman I had met with one of my drawings. After a couple of hours of trying to find supplies and ending up with twice the amount I needed, I sat down and sketched out a small drawing of the Texas State Flower, the Blue Bonnet. I brought it to the Eskimo woman I had met and all at once her entire countenance changed. She proudly displayed it in her booth for all to see and told me how she was going to hang it in her living room among her family photos. That small moment in time changed my way of thinking. I came home from that trip and a few months later produced my first real work of art in a long time. It was, to me, a simple drawing of our daughter, but it told a story. The expression on her face, the complete joy, while lost in her world in an act of worship to God. I had given up on drawing people. The last time I had done it was at the ge of 19. I drew a picture of the couple who had taken me in a rough time in my life. To me, it was not perfect. It was a disaster. I told myself, never again! Twenty one years later, I picked up my pencil and tried again. A couple of months later, we were at a retreat with our church and they had an art night in which people could share their art with others. I was so nervous because I do not like being the center of attention, but I got up anyway. I shared the story behind the drawing and then showed it to the group of people that were there. As I held up my drawing, there was a gasp and then applause.
I will never forget that moment. It was an eye opening moment and realized that this talent that God has given me is meant to be shown to others and this was not just about me. Ever since then, as time permits, I grab my pad of paper and pencils and draw. It is my act of worship to Him, the one who has given me this talent. My dream is to become a professional artist and I am ready to step into that process. I have always thought that art was just a hobby because it is so fun, relaxing and enjoyable. Now, I want to make this something I spend my days doing. It will definitely be a new journey for us, but I am really looking forward to it. Let the journey begin!
