I don’t know if you would agree with me or not, but I can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of events and concerns on my to do list. Most are necessary if not good things… painting, teaching, attending family outings, painting, cleaning, music, growing in my faith, working, painting, or helping others as God opens the doors. I do enjoy painting…
But sometimes my physical body or my brain just doesn’t want to co-operate. I am exhausted, or frustrated, not feeling good or just simply fried.  Oftentimes the enemy wants to try to shoot me down in failure right in the very midst of trying to do what God wants me to be and do. Does that ever happen to you?

When I paint, (have I mentioned I love to paint?), God is always speaking to my heart. I for the most part, know how to paint because I’m often crying out to God. “Oh Father, please!  Help me figure out how to paint this the way you created it… I’m desperate!
He’s been helping learn this way for decades.
Once My spirit is settled down, he directs my hand, and wouldn’t you know it… the painting ends up looking as I had hoped. I love meditating on the finished pieces, certainly not because I made them. But because of the process I went through with God at my side. God teaches me about Himself and His creation through painting, but He also gives me a message for my heart. 

When I got the idea for this flower with the light seeming to come from inside of itself, I felt it would represent Jesus living inside of me, His light empowering me in my world. 

Each time I lifted the paintbrush, He would fill my heart with the light of His love. 
I call the painting, “Radiant Overcomer”. 

The whole passage that kept going through my mind throughout the several months of painting was in 2 Corinthians 4:1-16. Jumping down to verses 6-7: For God, who said, Let there be light in the darkness, has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.” We now have that light, but we are fragile clay containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

This flower, precious yet fragile, has been intricately created by God’s loving hand, and purified white by Christ. His very light – the light of the world, is placed deep inside the blossom, becoming the energy, the source of power, to overcome.

I am that precious, yet fragile flower. No matter what difficulty, sickness, persecution, or suffering is sent my way, I will not falter. Because my strength comes from God. And his light shines through me to the world around me.

I want to remember that as I choose to follow what God is directing, I will try to be His reflection. Even in those really crazy times, I ask that He give me the strength, the wisdom, the direction, the light and the love I need to do His will.         I want to be His Radiant Overcomer.