Karla's Korner

You Are Loved!

It's oh so true... you are loved!

I know there can be days when we don't feel loved or loveable... and there can be days when we might not love or even like ourselves... but feelings lie and we know it. So don't listen to them... listen to God whisper to your heart right now... you are loved! Because that's the Truth!

Sometimes listening to the lies can be so easy. Oftentimes it's because some of us have been programmed by our past to believe things about ourselves that just aren't true and we become trapped by the recordings that play over and over in our brains. The only way to break that cycle is to replace the lies with the Truth of who God is... what He says about who we are... and the promises He's made to us and for our futures. When I'm feeling unloved or unloveable... one of my favorite verses to draw my heart away from harrassing thoughts and back to the goodness of God is Jeremiah 31:3...

 “I have loved you with an everlasting love;
I have drawn you with unfailing kindness."

And He still does!  It was God's Word that transformed my life from the first day we met... the Truth that He loved me unconditionally with a Father's love. It was the first time I had ever known or experienced unconditional love and was life-changing! And that Truth continues to mold and shape me even today. God's Truth is my Strength and Shield against the lies... and my Strong Deliverer when I've let them creep back in. I can only hope He is the same for you.

And speaking of the future and all that is possible for us in the Lord...
I finally was able to get the Butterfly scanned in and just listed it in Etsy.
You can find it there ready to pop into either a standard size 8x10 or 11x14
frame! My hope is that this butterfly art will encourage you to keep your eyes
on Jesus with whom all things are possible... and spread your wings and fly
into the future God has for you with faith!

And speaking of faith... I shared this oldie but goodie over on FaceBook a
few days ago.  I was thinking about how butterflies have been in so many
of my paintings including this one... only this verse isn't about soaring with
the wind beneath your wings... or flying high in the sky of expectations...
but this one is about abiding... resting... dwelling.  It's about allowing faith,
hope and love to so settle into the depths of our hearts so much so that it is
the catalyst for all we do... including the ocassional spreading of the wings!

Until next week my friends... Love and God-hugs.

COLORING MY WORLD!

I just posted this morning over on FB about how thankful I am that God did not create our world in black and white but chose to surround us with the most beautiful colors to delight our hearts and lift our spirits. 

Every color in the rainbow is such a reminder of His infinite creativity and the incredible love that He has for us. Just consider how He designed us with eyes to be able to discern an amazing range of color hues and values if we will just take the time to stop and really look.

I remember years ago, after taking an art class where the teacher challenged us to not just look at colors but to truly see them, how amazed I was at the infinite variety of greens there were in the trees and bushes and greenery along the streets I drove going home that day. I had driven those streets for  years but had never taken the time to really observe the incredible array of colors I had been missing out on without even realizing it! Still makes me smile to think about it!

I had just recently come to know the Lord at the time and was smitten, not only with who I was discovering He was, but also the beauty of His handiwork and the fact that He gave us eyes to see and hearts to behold and savor the beauty He surrounds us with!

I am thrilled that He allows me to create and COLOR MY WORLD with even a portion of His paint palette... but the truth is that whether you paint or not... there is nothing to keep you from delighting in a rainbow of blessing whatever direction your eyes happen to look in... if you will just take a moment to look and savor and truly see! An incredible rainbow of blessing we've been given... wouldn't you agree?

Just look around where you are right now... you may not be using a paintbrush and canvas but you are still COLORING YOU WORLD... with the crafts you create, the color of clothes you wear, the decor of your home, the meals you prepare, the garden you plant, and the gifts you give!  As we continue to use our talents and gifts and abilities as a blessing to others and to bring glory to the Lord our worlds become a little bit more colorful... and how rewarding is that!

And speaking of painting... this is my newest painting in progress.

And this is my newest painting finished!  I love how it turned out... and the message is so powerful!  I know that believing in myself or in the possibilities of good things to come was almost impossible for me prior to coming to know the Lord. But with God all things are possible and since then I have seen Him do amazing things... beyond my wildest dreams... in my own life and the lives of others! 

So I leave you with this encouragement... spread your wings in faith... keep believing in possibilities...
not because you can make them happen but because you belong to a God who is able to do exceedingly abundantly more able than you are able to ask or even imagine! 

And just so you know... I re-opened my Etsy store yesterday... and the print of my new painting will be listed there in the next couple of days so if you know someone who could use a little encouragement (maybe even yourself) it might be the perfect gift!

Bye for now... with love and God-hugs...

Celebrating Life With A Free Download!

My studio has been the most fun place to be lately! Having two months off from being at Saturday Market has been so refreshing! My heart is doing the happy dance and I'm trying to savor every moment!  

I've also been pondering the word CELEBRATE a bit more... and created this little banner as a reminder to pause... look around... and rejoice in the everyday blessings of life. I love banners and buntings... they just say PARTY in the most fun way! To download your FREE CELEBRATE BANNER click here! You could hang it to celebrate a birthday or other special moment... or simply hang it, like me... to remind yourself to rejoice in those everyday moments of life that slip by so quickly!


The truth is that life is full of pain and suffering... we all have more than our share throught our lifetimes. We don't get to choose our struggles... but we do get to choose how we live with them and through them. And we do get to choose what... and WHO... we focus on in the midst of them. I am always so inspired by someone who goes through a devastating experience and still shines forth the love and joy of the Lord. I want to be like that... so my desire is to fill my heart and thoughts with what is God and godly... and I know that is your hearts desire too!  To think on... and truly celebrate what is... True. Noble. Right. Pure. Lovely. Admirable. Excellent. and Praiseworthy! (Phillipians 4:8)

When I hung my little banner here I had to stop and think about all the sweet memories tucked in and among this little vignette. There's one granddaughter's doll high chair that she has now outgrown. The sock monkey handmade by the other granddaughter. The brightly colored art in the background that I painted at a workshop taugth by my daughter. A little bird my niece gave me for Christmas a couple of years ago. Reminders of relationships I cherish... reminders to stop and thank God for each one of them... who they are and what they mean to me!


I can't help but smile as I'm typing this... thinking of all the blessings... great and small... sprinkled throughout the days of my life... blessings that far outnumber the struggles. Oh Lord... let me think on these things!

One of the blessings of this last week has been new art! I am so LOVING my studio time and celebrating every moment of it! I thought you might enjoy seeing a little bit of the process on this one!  I loved the brown paper doily in the lower right corner but felt I needed to leave the space lighter for the addition of words so I'm saving it for another day! 

At this stage I'm liking the red and white striped vase but...

... I knew I wanted to add the heart... so I traded in the bright red stripes for black and am happy with it. I love the line art in the lower corner in lieu of the doily. Line art has always been so much of who I am that I feel like it adds a special dimension of "me" to the painting. I don't know if that makes sense to anyone else but it's like adding my signature touch to it and it feels good.

I posted this painting over on my Facebook Page with a request for your ideas and suggestions for what verse or words you saw as fitting with the art and the response has been absolutely delightful. It's so fun to see how we each can respond so differently and yet with the same heart.  The vote is still out.  With so many good suggestions I will have to ponder this one for awhile for sure!  If you'd like to leave your own suggestion in the comments below I'd love to hear from you!

And I leave you with this little doodle love to encourage your heart and lift up your soul! God is our shield and strength in times of trouble... He is the lifter of our heads... and that my friends is something to stop and ponder and CELEBRATE!

(And before you ask... yes... someday she will most likely become a coloring page!)

Bye for now... with love and God-hugs

 

Celebrating 2014... One Day At A Time!

Over on my FB page we've been talking about choosing ONE WORD to focus on for 2014... ONE WORD that reflects a direction you want to move in or a change you want to see take place in your life... ONE WORD" that has the potential to influence the choices you make or the way you live.

I prayed. I really wanted the Lord to choose my word for me. A whole bunch of great words came to my mind... but none stuck. And then I randomly saw the word CELEBRATE on something and thought... oh I like that word! It's fun... happy... joyful... yep... that's my kind of word. And then immediately thought "oh no" that can't be my word... it's not "spiritual" enough!  So I began to argue with God. I wanted something deeper... more thought provoking... and heart changing. Can you believe it?

But I couldn't let it go... so decided to receive it as from the Lord. 

And then this morning, as I began to meditate on my ONE WORD, I realized... oh my goodness... I'm not very good at celebrating! This past year I became so focused on work that I have lost the art and ability to celebrate the everyday ordinary blessings of the Lord in my life and in the lives of those around me! Ouch!

I believe now that this word was truly not of my own choosing but a gift from God to help me slow down and, once again, savor the moments... to learn new ways to celebrate the blessings I can sometimes take so for granted! I hope you'll stick with me through this new journey into 2014 and maybe we can celebrate some moments together!

One thing I was reminded of today was to celebrate one day at a time... for today is a gift that God has given and His hearts desire is that His girls would truly rejoice... CELEBRATE IT... and be glad in it!

I pray God bless you my friends... with love overflowing, peace that passes understanding, and joy unspeakable as we journey together into the unknown of 2014!

xoxo... Karla