I'm an artist who creates Scripture inspired paintings to encourage people and make them smile, not to make light of the heavy parts of life but precisely because life is too dark and discouraging and I want to shine a little light to remind you of the faithfulness of the Lord and the peace He offers.
When Our Loved Ones Are Struggling
Dear friend,If you're anything like me you know people in your life right now who are celebrating something amazing and wonderful, and you know others who are struggling horribly. Maybe it's illness or an anniversary of a lost loved one, or maybe the loss is still fresh, or maybe there's burdens for loved ones who aren't making healthy choices... but we all know at least one person who's struggling right now (and sometimes we're also one of the struggling people we know). And honestly, seeing ones I love in pain or struggling is one of the hardest things for me to see. I get this ache inside my chest and my throat gets all tight and I just want to hit rewind and delete and fix whatever happened because I care for them so much. And sometimes it overwhelms me and I feel helpless to do anything about it. Often there truly is nothing I can do. But there's one thing that I go back to every time I reach that point... one truth that gives me relief and hope. No matter how dark or hard or broken a situation and no matter how much I love and care for the person who's struggling.... no matter any other qualifier we might put on... the Lord God Himself cares for that person way more than I ever could. The Lord loves my loved ones more than I do. He loves my church family and my friends more than I do. He knows the situations and the pains more intimately than I do. And, my, that encourages me so much. It encourages me because His love is powerful (I mean, He literally invented love itself and IS love Himself). Not only is His love more amazing than mine could ever be, He's also capable of doing something in the situation, unlike me. He knows exactly what is best for His children's good and for His glory. He can see the full picture when I can just see the snapshot. Not only is His love powerful and is He capable, but He knows exactly what's going on. He knows every thought, every ache, every emotion, every bit of history that's feeding the moment or the struggle... He knows every family dynamic and every drop of water under bridges, and He knows exactly what is necessary to soften hearts and draw people to Himself. No, the Lord is surely worthy of trusting my loved ones to. So when you find yourself burdened with situations you can't control, people's hearts you can't mend, and concerns you can't do anything at all about... remember who the Lord is. Remember that He is trustworthy even with our most precious things-- the people we care about. I know that trusting Him is much easier said than done, but if we look once again at His character, His promises, His history of being faithful, you'll find it a bit easier to let go of your worry and lay our concerns at His feet. Don't stop praying for those loved ones, of course! Just add this little bit to your prayer, "Lord I know You love them more than I do." And this goes the other way too -- the Lord loves YOU more than any human on the entire planet loves you. And He knows what's best for You too. Happy Friday! ~Isabel Grace |
Isabel Grace Studio
I'm an artist who creates Scripture inspired paintings to encourage people and make them smile, not to make light of the heavy parts of life but precisely because life is too dark and discouraging and I want to shine a little light to remind you of the faithfulness of the Lord and the peace He offers.
Dear friend, There's something so freeing about painting and drawing for no reason other than to create. So often, when I get out my paints and sit down to create something, I wonder (and worry) if it will sell, how much people will like it, how amazing I can make it... and the magic of creating dulls a little bit. And I just got a chance to paint without any pressure of selling whatsoever. No pressure of recording it for social media, no pressure of making it within a timeline, no pressure...
Dear friend, When I was learning to drive, I was really frustrated with my Dad. He just made driving look so easy! He seems to be able to drive in reverse like Tow Mater, is somehow calm and has quick reflexes even amid crazy big city traffic, and even driving in different countries on other sides of the road doesn’t phase him. And yet if I said something about it he’d tell me “Well I’ve been driving for a few years.” Now I realize what he was saying was that I didn’t see him when he was...
Dear friend, What's something you saw outside as a kid that you thought was just so cool?? I loved exploring outside as a kid. I'd lay in the grass and watch the little ants working together. I'd look for the little beetles and bugs, and get excited with each butterfly that I saw fly past me. I've been thinking about inspiration lately, and the things that inspire me. And I've realized that most of the time, the things that inspire me again and again are things that inspired me as a child....