The idea for this painting came to me in 2009 as I was “recovering” from being suddenly widowed. It had been two years and the gaping wound was beginning to heal. It felt strange; I didn’t understand how I could possibly find peace about this. Yet there it was – that promised peace that surpasses all comprehension (Philippians 4:6, 7).
The image in my head back then is pretty much how the painting turned out. It looks simple enough, but I did it the hard way. I’m not able to draw/paint realistic looking things without something real to actually look at. But this image was in my head and I really didn’t know how to get “that” onto the canvas.
I began by searching Google images to see what “walking away barefoot” really looked like. I searched “woman in a dress”, “girl’s arm”, and “back of woman’s head”. After a couple hours, I ended up with a computer folder filled with saved images, each one having a tiny piece of what I was looking for.
Then I “Frankensteined” it all together in Photoshop. Don’t ask. It was pretty messy!
Next came the part where I chose to do this “the hard way”. I could have simply drawn the girl from the Photoshoped image and then done the chaos painting around her. But instead, for some strange reason, I decided I would carve this girl to make a rubber stamp. Yup, that was definitely the hard way.
As I sat at my art table, hour after hour, carving away at this girl, I was reminded of how the Lord was carving away at me. He was taking all my hurt and pain and cutting it away, bit by bit. He was creating His Perfect Peace in my chaotic life. You see I’m well qualified to speak with you about peace. My life has not been filled to the brim with sunshine and lollipops. I’ve been through years of chronic pain, financial distress, stinging betrayals, loss of loved ones, and career upheavals. That list could be longer, quite a bit longer, but you get the point.
Through all these trials, there was (and still is) a solid foundation to give me “Perfect Peace”. I’ve put my trust in Jesus Christ to get me through even the most difficult times. I rest in the fact that God is on His throne, He is Sovereign, and He is my good and loving Father.
In my mind, those many hours spent carving this girl represent the years God has spent carving His peace into my life. It’s taken a lot of trials and some very deep cuts to create a trust in Him that will hold up under life’s storms.
I’ve learned that God doesn’t take shortcuts with His children. He refines us in the fire like precious gold. He builds into our lives “the hard way”, because He knows it is the best way to make sure we stand firm. This is what God has used for the making of “Perfect Peace” in my life.
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If you missed the earlier art/story for “Perfect Peace”, please click here.