As we are heading into to summer and trying to figure out the best way to spend it, one of the activities I’ve suggested is painting. I had vaguely remembered my friend saying she had canvas and paint at home and she found it relaxing. What? People actually paint outside of ‘sip and paint parties’?
Now to be fair, I don’t consider myself creative. Not even a little bit. I’m not the person who will willingly pick up a paintbrush and a canvas (or even a piece of paper).
After we ordered the supplies on Amazon, my daughter prayed they would arrive earlier than the given date. God heard her, and they arrived later that day.
We cracked all the supplies open and the first canvas she tried, she messed it up within a minute. She started crying. I tried to explain that it’s art and she could create whatever she wanted. She wasn’t hearing it – she’d had her mind set on what she wanted.
The next day while I was working, she got a canvas and paint and tape. When she came out, she had a version of the Jamaican flag. I was shocked and impressed. As she had done it from memory, refusing my help, it was a little off. I showed her the flag and suggested how she should fix it. She did.
The next day, she decided she wanted to sell her painting. After showing it to my friend, she had a purchaser. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the colors were off and blended in together. I was teaching her that if she was going to sell something, it had to be of the highest quality.
I suggested she do it again. By then, she had another request for the sale of the flag. This time, I gave her guidance, helped with the tape, and left her to work. She did it, and it was amazing!
There were so many lessons in this one thing. For one, my daughter knows to pray and ask God for what she needs/wants. Second, she is seeing me as an entrepreneur and wants to be an entrepreneur too.
But the one I want to highlight is this…
How often is God trying to give us directions but we think we know more than Him and try to proceed in our own strength? When that happens, we usually end up having to repeat those lessons until we finally learn them. I just hope I’m learning to rely on Him more than me, and learning to wait for my directions.
Dear Heavenly Father, sometimes we think we know what we should be doing and that we don’t need your guidance. Would you please stop us in our tracks when we start to display those attitudes and behaviors? Help us to wait on your direction and to trust your wisdom.
