If you know me personally, you know I am a pray-er and a watcher. I believe strongly in the power of prayer and I watch to see where God is active and working. If you know me as an artist, you know that I try and convey a story in my work. I want there to be meaning behind what I create. If you don't know me at all, you're about to learn a little bit.
Backing up several years, I was miserable in what I was doing and felt completely stifled and craved an outlet for my creativity. I began to pray and ask God, “Surely this can’t be all You have for me, can it?” I felt over and over and over the words come to me, “be aware.” I did not know what that meant, but just started to notice that each day when I would pray that, I would see a cardinal (red bird). I have many stories about how I saw the birds and how I knew each encounter was no mere coincidence. It was what I refer to as a “God whisper.” In fact, it was not too long until God opened the door for our business, The Red Door Gallery. Guess where the name came from?
Then, back up just a few years, I was really having some personal struggles and even battling some anxiety and depression. I was talking with a friend, and she suggested I ask God for something specific as a God whisper. So, not being a stranger to this idea, I specifically asked God for feathers. Not really as a sign of Him, because that’s where faith comes in. But just a sense of His presence and to give me peace in knowing He had me and my situation in His grasp. You would not believe the stories of where I saw feathers! As an example, on one particular morning I was feeling down and walked out the backdoor and one floated down right in front of my face. It stopped me in my tracks as I watched it drift all the way to the ground and land at my feet. Coincidence? I think not.
In August of this year, I lost my very dear and beloved brother. It has devastated me beyond what I am able to express on some days. I have never experienced loss of this magnitude. As I cried out to God in the following few days, I told God I desperately needed some God whispers to get through this. Several days in a row we had to drive down to my parent’s home and I would find myself just staring out the window, still feeling some shock and usually always teary-eyed. Jeff had taken several days off and did the driving, while I just did the staring and the crying. On each drive, we saw deer standing just on the side of the interstate. They seemed to be peering straight at me. My heart leapt as I knew this was God’s whisper to me. I was assured that He saw me; He saw my hurt and my grief; He saw my pain and my tears; He saw me and He cared.
So when it came time to paint our Christmas Card for this year, I was a bit stumped about what to paint. The cardinal has such special meaning for me and I painted that last year, so I knew it had to be something else. So, I just started with the evergreens and snow in the background, and then all of a sudden it came to me, and this is the result. I entitled it “Near and Deer” because I will always hold Andy close in my heart and I know that God is with me (Near). And the deer part is obvious, but it’s also dear to me how He has spoken to me greatly during these last few months.
Now I realize for many, this may all sound hokey and far-fetched and like a grieving sister who has lost her mind, but I know our God speaks to us through His Word, other people, and nature. He has loved me through many a day with something as simple, but yet so profound as a “God whisper.” I expect many more whispers as I work my way through this great loss in my life, maybe even for the rest of my life. But with each whisper, I know and I believe that God is giving me His love, His grace, and His mercy.
I’d love to hear stories of how He’s whispered to you. Please leave your response here and I promise to read each and every word. If you would like to receive a copy of our Christmas Card, I would be happy to mail one to you as a reminder of God’s love for you. Please leave me your address and one will be on it’s way to you. Merry Christmas blessings to you and yours.