Painting for Lauren

Hello, friends!

Because I am moving to Lee (Cleveland, TN) in seven days, one week, as of today (!!!), I decided I wanted to give my best friend Lauren something to remember me by. (I'm kidding... I'm literally only moving 20 minutes away. I will still see her all the time, thankfully.)

Really, I've been wanting to paint her something for a while now, I have several canvases I can't take with me to school, I had a ton of extra time on my hands (before things hit hyper-speed), I just wanted to paint, she just moved into a brand new-beautiful-house and needs awesome things to cover her walls with and I thought, "What better time than now?"

So, here's the finished painting:

I'd like to start with the story:

Annually, my church, Calvary Chapel Chattanooga's youth group visits the Dominican Republic. This was my third year there. In Puerto Plata on the northern shore of the island, year after year, our view is of Playa Cofresi and we see big boats and barges anchored or trudging slowly through the water. A year or two ago there was a barge and a sailboat sharing Playa Cofresi's bay. Pastor Kenny, our youth pastor, pointed out the symbolism he saw in it:

Basically, we get to be one or the other: the barge or the sailboat. Barges are like machines; they work and trudge and force themselves against the waves and cut right through the water. Sailboats glide across the water; they allow the wind to carry them whichever direction it's blowing. 

God is the wind.

I don't know about you, but I like the idea of being a sailboat. It seems much smoother and happier. That in no way entails perfect sailing conditions always; however, He is constant.

Why make yourself do all the work? Why trudge through life's imperfect sailing conditions? Why go against the wind?

Why is it so easy to ask those questions, then live differently?

I don't know about you, but choosing to "let go and let God" isn't always easy for me. I like control. Lauren and I are definitely "Type-A" personalities--I think that's one reason why I like her so much. ;)

This image--the barge and the sailboat--has stuck with me for a least a year now. One of the prayers for my trip this year was that God would "be the wind in my sails." It's been really neat to see Him come through in that (after I choose to let go, of course. He doesn't force Himself.) When things are faith-filled and not fear-filled, it changes everything.

When we rest in His character and allow Him to navigate and sweep us in the right direction, when we choose to believe regardless of everything our little broken hearts and imperfect minds are telling us, that's when you get going in the right direction--even when sailing conditions, life conditions, seem to be working against you.

As Lauren and I move into this next season of life, and seeing her just needing a little encouragement in this particular area, I really wanted to give her something meaningful.

Last week a handful of "post-youth group, new college kids" went to the College/Singles group for the first time. We all walked in as if we were terrified 8th graders moving into high school, asking the same question, "What am I doing here?" On the last song we sung, Zach Smith (of As Isaac-our "not-so-average" youth group band) mentioned in prayer the sailboat thing and my face couldn't smile any harder. That was totally a God thing. (It's been really cool because lately everything Zach has prayed about with the groups has been something that's just lined up perfectly with what I've been studying/learning.)

That's when the idea struck :)

And this is how I made it happen:

I started with the background, but I didn't get a picture of it before I put the water on.

(All of this is acrylic paint. I just did a wash with water to extend/spread the paint--for transparency, and because who has enough paint to do that without water...?)

^

The water is obviously my favorite part. :)

(Started with pink, added the blue/violet and doused it with water. I let it drip. A lot.)

^

I only made the boat yellow because it's my favorite color. :0 

:)

^

First layer of teal,

Flag and Pole,

"Tienes mi Corazon" added. 

(It means "You have my heart." The back story to this is crazy and would take forever to explain, but long story short, As Isaac has a song called "I Love You Too" and I love you too doesn't translate directly, so when Zach translated the song for us to sing in Spanish while we were down there, he used "Tienes mi Corazon," and man, do those words mean so much.)

^

Second layer of teal.

Shading/lines/waves fixed.

^

Details to the sail.

^

Words! Finally!

^^^

Wind!

(I had glitter paint, and well, glitter is Lauren's favorite color.

How else do you paint wind...?)

I love her.

Thank you for reading.
&
Thank you for being awesome.

--

"Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of His glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen." 

Jude 24-25

"Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise His holy name. Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all His benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's... But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those who fear Him..."

Psalm 103:1-6, 17a

Praise the LORD, my soul.