Today the journal page I want to share with you is part of my Take Me Deeper Challenge over on His Kingdom Come and it is the journal page for Week 3. The theme for January is "Transform," and the Week 3 Devotional was for "Transform Submissively." This week's devotional was from 2 Corinthians 3:18 which says "And we all, with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." I LOVE that scripture! As I have stated MANY times before, IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS! We were created in His image, so our transformation would most definitely be ALL about Him, His character and His ways grafted into our very beings! But these things can ONLY take place when we position ourselves so that, that transformation can take place! For me, that position is as low as I can possibly go! Sometimes in His presence, I can't get low enough!! His presence is so awesome, powerful and overwhelming and prostrate is where I want to always be before Him!
I started this project by laying down some Tim Holtz Tissue Tape in spots here and there and the applied my amazing Lindy's Stamp Gang Starburst Sprays in Tibetan Poppy Teal and Cattail Copper Brown! I know there are a lot of sprays on the market, but by far, my absolute favorite are Lindy's Starburst Sprays! Their colors are true and the mica is amazing! I then stamped some background stamps from a Unity Stamp Set from March 2014 in StazOn Saddle Brown. I then just simply distressed the edges with Distress Ink in Vintage Photo.I knew that I wanted an example of being prostrate before the Lord, so I drew a "me," if you will, on an old hymnal page that lovely Mary Brack sent me with this journal. I found it soooo appropriate because the hymn is "Come Unto Him." To transform, you HAVE to go unto Him! I love, loved it and KNOW it was meant for this project. Thank you Lord! After drawing "me" out, I painted my shirt and skirt using Gelatos in Metallic Blueberry and Metallic Melon and Peach. I accented with Faber Castell Pitt Artist Manga Pen Set pens and Distressed the edges with Vintage Photo. I'm no fabulous artist when it comes to "people," but I do what I can! LOL Since I wanted her to look as if she was kneeling down to the floor, I tried to use pop dots towards the back of the torso to help that image! My crude attempt, but it worked, for me anyway! LOL
I also knew I wanted to use a bird that represented a dove or the Spirit of the Lord on my page, so I took this stamp from a Fiskars stamp set that I have called "For the Birds" and stamped on book page, distressed the edges and adhered with mod podge. I then took Aleene's and drew a line around "me" so I could add Finnabair's Art Ingredients Glass Glitter in Gold Rush to it to represent the "Spirit of the Lord" surrounding me. I finished by stamping sentiments and writing scripture verses.
There are so many discussions that could come out of this journal page and for those of you who read my blog know, I am passionate about my Lord and I could go on for days, so I will try to summarize my thoughts! LOL! Submissiveness has gotten a bad rap for some, but for a believer it's the ultimate position before the Lord for Him to do His will in and through you. We have to continually cast our cares before Him, trust Him and heed to His will that He has revealed to us. It is only from that perspective that we can begin to transform into His image, His likeness. Sometimes that place comes at a cost or can be a "thorn in the flesh," but with EVERY sacrifice we make on His behalf, we are given MUCH grace to see it through! As we press through, we are perfected, established and strengthened for that next level that He is calling us to! God gives grace to the humble!
One of the words I wrote on my page was hupotasso. Hupotasso in the verb form "subject," which means to subject oneself, to obey, be subject to. In Luke, Chapter 2, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover and when they went to return home, after 3 days (can you imagine?), they realized the then 12 year old Jesus, was not with them. So they went back to Jerusalem, in a panic I would imagine, to find Him. When they found Him, they chastised Him and His reply was "why did you look for me, didn't you know I'd be about my Father's business!" They didn't understand His meaning! BUT, even though Jesus clearly wanted to be at the temple they found Him at, sitting with the teachers, instead of arguing with His parents, He submitted Himself to them and went back with them to Nazareth. He "subjected" Himself to them AND as He did, He increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God AND men!The work of transformation is by the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ in us! As we heed to the Spirit (NOT our own will and desires), when we then engage in His will, immediately the Spirit can begin to work in and through us to shape and mold or transform us into all He has called us to be through Christ! In order to begin to look like Christ, we have to submit all we are to Him as a stance of "I trust you" to do Your will in my life! This is hupotasso, we have then subjected ourselves to Him!
My friends, it is a DAILY dying to self! We have none arrived, no not one! It's a continual state of "becoming!" "Where we allow the Spirit to work in our lives, there is LIBERTY!" 2 Corinthians 3:17 Liberty is my Logos365 word for the year! Humility before the Lord is total FREEDOM and LIBERTY!
Bless you today as you heed to His call on your life!
Truly a rich vision in keeping with your subject matter.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Win for stopping in with me and ALWAYS having wonderful things to say! Blessings to you!
DeleteThis is such an awesome page, Felicia, just awesome and very expressive of your devotion. When I first looked at it I thought it was 3D - now I see it was actually the amazing shading that made the figure (you!) look three dimensional! A fantastic piece of art and very meaningful as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks my friend! I'm glad that it does express my devotion...sometimes you are not sure the reader will see that....LOL!! I did try to put some pop dots back there to make it look 3D, but of course we have to do the shading bit with those fabo Faber Castell Big Brush Pens (they are my fave!) Thank you as always for, obviously reading my banter, but for your lovely comments Zsuzsa! Blessings! ;)
DeleteGreat post and I love the page, what caught my eye was how you made her three dimensional, and I totally recognized that position before the Lord! Great job!
ReplyDeleteOhh Dana, you made my day! Thanks so much for visiting and your sweet comment! Isn't that just the best position in the world? I could bask there forever and can't wait for the day! :) Thank you again, and blessings to you! :)
DeleteFabulous page Felicia, loved the way you draw yourself, and the bird is wonderful, gorgeous rich texture, loved every little details. Loved the way you express your feeling so freely on a spread!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ruth my sweet friend! I'm so thankful for the opportunity to express who I am through my art. That's really how I got started into this whole thing! I want to give the Lord glory ANY WAY I CAN and I'm thankful for the provision to be able to do it through art, which is so fun for me! Thanks again and bless you dear Ruth! :)
DeleteWow!!! This is an amazing page. I love it, all you said about it, and your encouragement to us!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, thank you so much Wanda!! I am glad that it is encouragement to others because it certainly is to me! It ALWAYS ministers to me first! I love how God works don't you? And, I am so thankful that He is my enabler to share with others! Thank you so much, AS ALWAYS, for your sweet comment! Blessings to you my friend! :)
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