And Suddenly There Was

Being an artist is great because you can be a little bit impulsive with what and how you create. Oh, you want to paint an apple? Great! Oh, you want the apple to be blue? Suddenly it’s blue, but only because YOU decided so. Wouldn’t it be nice if our lives could be as easily altered? Suddenly, because you said so, everything you’ve ever desired has fallen into place and you’re living your best life. Unfortunately, friends, our lives don’t work that way. As artistic individuals, or individuals in general, we really only have the power to change things on paper. We can’t operate off of creating suddenlies, but God most definitely does. 

God is the best artist ever. Not only did he sculpt you to be uniquely you, but He painted a picture of your life that makes you one of the greatest works of art He’s ever created. Things might seem like they’re not going well at the moment, or maybe you’re not where you want to be in life yet, but God has you in a place right now that if you just began to trust in Jesus, you would create an opening for God to work His suddenlies in your life.

For as long as I can remember, I have loved art. That is a passion that God built into me when He made me, but only a few years ago did I ever start to consider that I would actually want to do art as a job. I never really knew if I could do it, though, and as the years went by, I realized that I knew nothing about starting a business or making art to sell, or even about websites. Slowly but surely, my artistic mission changed over time. I didn’t want to just make art and sell it, but I wanted to inspire people, bring them joy, and let them know that they are loved. I wanted to teach others, and I had a particularly heavy passion in my heart when it came to teaching art to children. How was I ever going to do that? How long would it take to be able to make art my job and how much longer until I would be able to teach art to others? The issue is, at that point in time, I was worried about how I was going to accomplish all these goals, but never once did I consider how God might want me to pursue these things. 

Just a few months ago, I had one of the greatest revelations of my life during which Jesus basically called me to trust Him with everything, including these art dreams. “Do you trust Me?” and “Are you willing to make yourself uncomfortable for me?” became the main themes of the beginning of this season that would quickly escalate into one of the most wonderful things I’ve ever experienced. I gave my dreams to God. Now, I wasn’t just trying to do what I wanted, but I was trying to do His will. I asked Him what He wanted for my life, and quickly, again, my artistic mission changed. Now I wasn’t trying to spread love and joy, but I was trying to spread the love and joy of Christ.

AND SUDDENLY one door after another opened. I began to get more followers on social media. I met with a local artist that had inspired me for years and began to teach art classes with her. God gently placed in my heart that I should begin to collect art supplies for my own classes, so I did. I got my supplies and God continued to stretch all of my money until I got absolutely everything I needed. Then, just two or three weeks after I had gotten all of my supplies, He opened the doors to a classroom space at a local antique store that was exactly in the price range that I had prayed about just a few months prior. 

It sounds too good, right? Well, God is that good, and then He’s even better.  

I still can’t believe all this has happened, and it’s my life. 

Now, I’ve built this website, and God is continuing to open doors for me. Everything has happened so incredibly fast in my art career getting started, and I know that it only happened because I gave everything over to God and put all of my trust in Jesus, even though I was so scared and didn’t know what to do. 

This is my testimony of how God operates suddenly. I am writing this in the hopes of encouraging you, my dear friends. There might be something that you desire so greatly, but if you just place your trust in Jesus, you will give God the room to operate in your life. Even if you don’t get exactly what you personally hope for when you hope for it, know that God’s plans for your life are so much greater than your plans for your life. Like I said, I thought it would take me YEARS to be able to do a majority of what I’m doing right now.

Don’t get discouraged. Embrace suddenly and embrace God’s plans for your life. 

I love you so much, but Jesus loves you so much more.