Breaking Up Fallow Ground

Watercolor Work Horse Painted on July 15, 2010

Sow for yourselves righteousness;

reap steadfast love;

break up your fallow ground,

for it is the time to seek the Lord,

that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

Hosea 10:12

G.K. Chesterton said, "Art is the signature of man."

At present I cannot manage to find the words to share what God is doing in my heart and life because it is in process.

However, I can bring glory to, or display the worth of my Maker in the display of my simple paintings.

The Triune God created the world and it gave Him pleasure. For his glory's sake he made an image-bearer (Gen. 1:26) to understand the value of what he created and how it pointed to a majestic Creator. He made man with a mind which goes beyond the instincts of animals.

"This creature [man] was truly different from all other creatures; because he was creator as well as creature," continues Chesterton.

Donald T. Williams explains in Mere Humanity, "Monkeys may sharpen sticks to make primitive tools for digging termites out of the ground; they may arrange boxes into a pile they can climb to retrieve a banana hung from the ceiling. They do not arrange sticks or the boxes into intricate patterns simply so they can sit back and lose themselves in the contemplation of their symmetry. Other species, in other words, pursue the practical arts on a rudimentary level but know nothing of what we call the fine arts."

"Art is the signature of man because it constitutes a radical break with animal behavior, not a development from it," explains G.K. Chesterton.

The evolution theory reduces man to that of a beast. This denigration of man's image is a slap in the face to the very nature and glory of God. The enemy seeks to defame and destroy what is due to the Almighty. Many worldviews are only tools in his hands to mock God.

"'It is not natural to see man as a natural product,' says G.K. Chesteron. Man is the only one of the physical creatures with enough of a self to want to sign his name; art is his signature, and he gets both from the greatest Artist of all," writes Donald T. Williams.

And so, I paint when my heart is stirred by a Biblical truth that touches the very depths of my soul and I offer it to my Maker as a reflection of who I am because of who he is. When my painting is done for the glory of God (1 Cor. 10:31), it is fulfilling His purpose in my life.

The painting above of the Work Horse is a tutorial from my DVD class. My daughter loves horses and has wanted to learn to draw them better. We had a lovely Mother/Daughter Date at home working through the DVD lesson on how to draw this horse and then how to watercolor paint it.

Once it was finished the Hosea passage came to mind. I've been meditating on it and have come to accept a necessary time of silence as I wait for the Lord to dig deep into my heart, guide me to surrender what I must, so that He may rain his righteousness on me in my daily life.

The Valley of Vision

Painted July 17, 2010 and inspired by Lidj

Another truth that prompted this soul to respond in watercolors came from my blogging friend Lidj. She just posted a well lived post on "The Valley of Vision." She writes, "We may have shining moments of inspiration on the mountain tops, but most of our lives take place down in the valleys."

Her words and life speak to my hungry heart and I took the time today to climb my mountain for some needed perspective. I made time to read the Word of Life, think, pray, sit in silence, enjoy solitude, and paint the picture above (another tutorial from my DVD class entitled "Down in the Valley"). Read her blog for deep things to ponder. It will bless you.