James 1:2ā3
"Consider it pure joyā¦ whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." AMEN š
ā¤ļøThe Heart Behind This Piece
This was the beginning of a deeper lesson:
Faith doesnāt start when things are good.
Faith is planted in the hard places.
The valleyā¦
the confusionā¦
the moments where you feel aloneā¦
That is where the seed is planted.
āSeeds of Faithā
Faith is Planted in the Valleyā¦ and Grown in the Storm
šØ The Meaning Within the Painting
This piece is more than a momentā¦
itās a visual map of how faith is formed.
Every detail carries meaning.
š“ The Path of Dots ā The Blood That Led the Way
The trail of dots represents Jesusā blood ā
the sacrifice that made a way for us to believe.
It is not random.
It is intentional.
Each stepā¦ each dropā¦
is what leads us back to Him.
š We donāt find faith on our own.
We are led to it.
š§The Storm ā What Feels Like Breaking Is Actually Growth
The storm in this painting represents the hard seasons ā
the moments that feel confusing, heavy, or even unfair.
But what I learned is this:
š The storm is not there to destroy you.
š The storm is there to water what God planted.
Without the rainā¦
nothing grows.
š The Hearts ā Where Faith Lives
Each heart represents the human heart ā
the place where faith is planted.
Not in the mind.
Not in logic.
š In the heartā¤ļø
This is where everything begins āļø
š± The Mustard Seed ā Faith in Its Purest Form
At the center of every heart is a mustard seed.
This is where the message deepened for me.
The mustard seed isnāt just about small beginnings or tenacityā¦
š Itās about holding steady
š Itās about giving it time to grow
š And itās about becoming something that can feed and support others
Faith isnāt instant.
It grows.
š¼The Bloom ā Finding God in Nature
As the seeds are wateredā¦
they begin to bloom.
And for me, that bloom became the flower.
š¼ The same flower that later became the Shout God Out symbol
Because thatās where I found Himā¦
š Not in my head
š But in my heart
š And out in nature
Thatās where I began to seek Himā¦ and truly see Him
š§µThe Deeper Lesson ā The 18-Inch Journey
This painting also connects to what I now call the Cord of Hope:
There are only 18 inches between your head and your heartā¦
but it is the hardest journey we walk.
Because the world pulls you into your head ā
fear, doubt, control.
But faith lives in the heart.
š This piece was one of the first times I truly chose
to step out of my headā¦
and into my heart
The storm didnāt break meā¦
it grew the faith that was already inside me.
And then comes the stormāļø
The rain.
The discomfort.
The stretching.
But I began to see it differently:
š The storm wasnāt there to break me.
š The storm was there to water what God planted.
Because without the rainā¦
there is no growth.
Without the pressureā¦
there is no root.
Without the stormā¦
there is no bloomš¼
:
š± Seeds of Faith
Faith is planted in the valleyā¦ and grown in the storm.
This piece came during a storm ā both outsideā¦ and within me.
That same night, a massive dust storm rolled through the desert šµ
I remember sitting alone on my back porchā¦
watching that wall of dust move across the sky.
Everyone else went insideā¦..
But I didnāt.
I stayed.
Not because I didnāt see the stormā¦
but because I felt something stronger than fear.
I felt peace
A peace that didnāt make senseā¦
but one I knew was coming from the Holy Spirit.
So I sat there with Himā¦
talking to my Fatherā¦ asking why.
And in that moment, I realized:
š This wasnāt rejection.
š This was planting.
God was placing something inside of me
that I couldnāt fully see yet.
