By the time Friday rolls around, life kicked me
in the rear 10 times over. It gets exhausting especially when I take work home
for the weekend. My ambition of wanting to be recognized for more than my title
at work leaves me with endless lists of To Do’s and very little time to do
them.
The old solution was to take work home so it can
absorb the rest of my evenings and weekends. We take our work to Starbucks. It
is pretty much our second home – a great place to get free wifi, soy chai lattes,
loud music, strangers to speak with, and creative ideas. Though the Starbucks
that provides us concentration here in New York has some friendly people, we
love the Starbucks back in Palo Alto, CA. That is where most of the students
go, that is where the geniuses' brain waves linger in the atmosphere. Just
thinking of that spot makes me happy.
My new solution is to art journal with God. Join
me. Take out your journal and art supplies. (I am currently working on a list
of supplies/materials and techniques to use, but at this time, use what you
have.) Put on some worship music with your Bible in hand. Pray, “God, share
what You want to me to learn today.” Sit still and listen. If you don’t hear
anything, keep the worship music going. He might just want you to sit still and
worship Him. As for me, here is my conversation with God.
Me: Lord,
I believe in You. I trust in You. I invite the Holy Spirit to lead me and guide
me into the state of peace, Lord. I feel as if I am turning into a woman who
lacks character. Work is consuming me. When I go home, I still think about work
and about all that needs to be done.
Father God: My
beautiful daughter, I am happy to be here with you. Let me hold you and carry
that struggle of pleasing "Man". Remember, focus on what’s
good, noble, and true. Focus
on Me and all things will follow.
Me: For
some reason, I keep thinking of Bruce Lee, ‘be like water’. Does that mean anything?
Father God: You
should be like Jesus in character, but understand that you don’t need to
be rigid to the point that you cannot allow others to share My Word or My
Vision to you. Be Like Water means to adapt, build your own in Jesus, and then
let it grow. Don’t turn into a workaholic, understand their culture and then be
yourself – that’s the best gift you can offer. In the meantime, your weekend is
for Me and your husband. I want you to adapt to Mary and not to Martha. If you
spend more time with Me, you will get more accomplish in less time. Spend time in
prayer for your company to improve, rather than creating tons of action items
and struggling to check them all off. I AM GOD. In Me, all things are possible.
Me: Thank
you, Father. Let thy will be done…
I used magazine clippings to put this journal
image together. If you feel you are not good at drawing or with color. Using
magazine images is a great way to get the process going. What you need to start
are magazine clippings, a glue stick and a journal page. Depending on the
images you'll choose, but draw a rectangle of the size 8” x 5” or 5” x 8” in
the journal page. Go to that pile of magazines you couldn’t toss out and
flip through them quickly, only pull out the images that grabbed your
attention. Each collage story needs a background – a location or scenery. It
needs to be as big as 8"x5", the background image I got is of a
forest with large trees. Cut out the images, then arrange them in a way that
makes sense or looks appealing to you. Glue them down within the borders of the
rectangle (8” x 5” or 5” x 8”). With SoulCollage®, the images you selected were
chosen from your Soul, bypassing your mind. You will be surprised to see
how the images can be arranged in new ways that explains or answers questions
you many have. For me, I always ask the Holy Spirit to guide me through this
process. This way, I know it is a gift from God.
With the SoulCollage® method, you look at the
picture and say, "I AM THE ONE WHO..." Let the finale image speak to
you. Don't be afraid because it is something you chose, no one chose it for
you. “I am the one who rests in the creation of the Great I Am and allows
His protection to shelter me from the heat of life and work.” Though there is not a figure of God in
this image, He is everywhere. The girl is me laying back, soaking in His
Presence and resting in Him.
Luke 10:38-42New International Version (NIV)
At the Home of Martha and Mary
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary,who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one.[a] Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
