Uploaded February 2025 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago

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It’s been about a year since I have laid paint on substrate. The color therapy I had practiced for so many years, felt unfamiliar to me today. My supplies were dusty and art muscles in atrophy. Last year, I went through one of the hardest situations in my life. It could have left me bitter, cold, and shut down. And that was the temptation…but deep down, I knew my purpose wasn’t over. Romans 8:28 was my daily bread:
“And we know that God causes ALL THINGS to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”

I am so thankful for how I was set up and supported by Holy Spirit to endure this tragedy. I had recently gone through a book called ‘Joyful Journey: Listening to Immanuel.” I had read how my brain was wired to process trauma and that Jesus was available to SEE me, HEAR me, and understand how BIG my situation was for me. That He was happy to be with me in the midst of my anger, hopeless despair and fear. He was even happy to be with me when I was not happy to be with Him. And the best part, He could do something to help me. There was a way for me to metabolize this pain in a life-giving way. Learning to not avoid the pain but lean in, WITH HIM, has been life-changing. Instead of asking ‘Why?’ I find myself asking, ‘What…what can I learn from this? What do You want me to see? What part of Your character do You want to reveal to me through this?”

Today, as I picked up my paintbrush again, I felt the gentle invitation to create—not to perform, not to prove anything, but to simply be with Him in the process. Each stroke was a quiet testimony of emotional resilience, radical redemption, and blessed renewal.

Maybe you’re in a season where things feel broken, where creativity feels distant, where your heart is asking hard questions. I just want to remind you—He is with you in it. And He is not done writing your story.

So here’s to showing up, even when it feels unfamiliar. To trusting the process. To believing that beauty really can rise from the ashes. 🎨💛