Van Gogh

"I dream my painting and then I paint my dream." -Van Gogh

I just saw this quote and thought immediately of my previous post, sacred ground.  I read that portion of Brene Brown's book with the quote, "Don't shrink, don't puff up. Stand your sacred ground," and that's exactly what happened: I dreamed.  I visualized.  I saw this scene.  A watercolor pale mix of blues and greens, much more beautiful than I actually created, but it was like the morning mist was lifting, and there I was.  On a path. A natural, organic path, starting from my heart. A wide-open, honest, brave heart.  My eyes on my Maker and the path He is leading me on. 

 No more shrinking.  I am made in His image, I am uniquely and wonderfully made.  No matter what others make me feel.  No matter what physical limitations or insecurities try to tell me.  I am His.  I am the size I am, spiritually speaking, and I like it.  

I don't need to puff up.  Bragging is silly and stupid.  I will do great things for the satisfaction it gives me, not to prove anything to anyone.  

And then...I stand my sacred ground.  The ground that is holy because He who is in me, the One that is greater than the one who is in the world, is in me.  His Spirit resides in me.  This is a holy place.  My sacred ground.  

Whether I walk, whether I stumble and fall, I may or may not move forward in my journey at the rate I would like...but I will stand.  If not physically, I will at least be standing in my spirit.  

That was and is my dream.  So I painted it.  I love it when I see my picture before I paint it.  I love when God gives me visions of things to come.  It doesn't always happen.  Sometimes I'm just mushing paper and paint and glue around on the page and only eeking out a small spark of my heart.  And that's ok too. Because it means something else is stirring in my heart, too big and complicated to be released yet.  But it will. Just gotta keep practicing my art, my soul art.

Keep dreaming, my friend...