Life feels very busy lately and I need to hit that slow down button again! Between teething Zachary, tons of video editing, potty training, and commissions, I’m telling Mr. Time to SLOW down right MEOW!!
Early this morning I got to paint the sunflower llama commission! I’m trying to capture a foggy mountain scene with a field of sunflowers and a happy llama taking a stroll.
What I’m Learning about Confidence
I want to share with you all the things I’ve been learning thus far about “Confidence in the Lord.” Being my phrase for the year I’ve been seeking the Lord’s word continuously on this topic and here’s what I found.
True confidence stems from how we view ourselves AND how we trust the Lord. Not one or the other, but BOTH. If we trust the Lord, but have no understanding of what we can do and how the Lord has equipped us, that’s not true confidence.
The saying, “Work like it all depends on you, and pray like it all depends on God.” It’s not this one way street where we do nothing and wait on the Lord to act. In some cases the Lord does want us to wait on Him, but in many cases the Lord is waiting on us to move!
The same goes for putting our full trust in ourselves. We are strong human being’s, yes indeed, but we we’re not meant to take on all that responsibility and power on our own shoulders. We need something far stronger to place our full hope, confidence, and eternal future in.
Our value is not defined by earthly standards, but by heavenly ones.
How we view ourselves will affect our confidence. We cannot build true confidence on what we own, how we look, or who we know here on earth. Those things can all be stripped from us in the snap of a finger. No amount of makeup or money or fame can make us feel permanently valuable or confident.
It’s what the Lord says about us that doesn’t change and it’s far more AWESOME than what the world says about us. In God’s eyes we are royalty, ambassadors of peace, holy, victorious, more precious than gold, and fearfully made! The list goes on.
We’re not being humble by putting ourselves down and God up.
Like any good father, the Lord doesn’t want us to act like pathetic submissive puppies with our tails between our legs. He wants us to walk tall, pick our heads up, and feel whole knowing who we truly are!
We’re not being humble nor loving for God by hating ourselves! That actually makes Him sad, not proud of us. Instead, the Lord wants us to walk boldly, speak confidently, and live out our God given identity. Are you acting like royalty? Are you acting like aires to the throne of Christ? If not, the Lord wants us to OWN IT GIRL! That identity is ours because of the Lord. We can claim it and live it out confidently. Praise God!
“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”
Daily Creative Quiet Time
Here I go! All through 2022 I’ll be sharing my daily creative quiet time routine. I’ll shoot for 10-minutes a day (at least) progressing through a Commission, or an Online Animal Art Masterclass tutorial, or a Youtube tutorial, or artwork for Collectors.
For me the creative process involves more than just colorful paint, it’s an act of praise and worship. I chose the phrase “Confidence in the Lord” as my art/life focus for the year. I plan to pull colorful inspiration from bible verses, the valuable lessons of life, and the vibrant paint I get my hands on! Now lets paint.
Most Used Materials
Acrylic Paint: Large Paint, Small Paint, Arteza Gold Paint, Golden Fluid White
Markers: Copic (large), Arteza Markers, Copic (small), Arteza Paint Markers
Brushes: Arteza Detail Brushes, Arteza Mixed Brushes
Paper: Canon Paper, Strathmore Paper
Varnish: Glossy Varnish, Satin Varnish, Spray Varnish
