May 19, 2014

a new print // a suffering accepted


the last couple of months have been so hard - i've never felt so physically weak and mentally exhausted in my life - but as i'm nearing the 10th week of this trial, i don't think i've ever been so spiritually inspired. i've never depended so much on God, on His word, on communication with Him before - and when i read this quote, i felt such a sense of encouragement wash over me. 

i've struggled through tears of frustration and anxiety and stress, feeling not only weak physically, but weak spiritually - feeling like something was wrong with me because i was struggling. shouldn't i be stronger than this? shouldn't i be filled with peace, complete with a smile on my face? 

isn't that the misconception of Christianity? that we're supposed to be strong and brave all the time, charging each trial with confidence, happily giving thanks all the while. when i look to scripture, with all the stories and examples of lives given to God - i don't see a bunch of perfectly confident, perfectly strong, continually happy people... right? 

sure, david ran towards goliath with his tiny sling shot, and moses stood before pharaoh to free the israelites, and peter walked on water, and i don't know of anyone that preached Christ more boldly than paul.... but when i look at their lives, they all struggled - just read a handful of psalms and you'll see how much david struggled with worry and fear, or read exodus to see how moses struggled with frustration and anger, or read that peter struggled with doubt and self-preservation, or about paul's physical weakness that he desperately wanted to be delivered from - he prayed several times for God to take it away, and i'm so glad he did because this verse has been a lifeline - 

"and He said to me, 'My grace is enough for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.' so then, i will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me."  
[2 corinthians 12:9]

it's not their strengths that made these people great and inspiring - it was their weaknesses - their perseverance in weakness, that made their stories epic because God infused His perfect strength into them. only when we're weak can we truly experience God's strength and power.... so He chooses us in our weakness! 

weakness is the key to experiencing His strength. without weakness, our faith wouldn't be exercised and hope would be a distant notion. without weakness, we wouldn't recognize our need for Him, and knowing that, my heart can accept suffering not as something gone wrong, but as something that allows me to experience His amazing strength.

May 8, 2014

beargrass gardens logo!!



i had the lovely opportunity + privilege of collaborating with darci of beargrass gardens to create her brand new logo! i just absolutely love this... our creative chemistry was nothing short of perfect! so elated to have worked with darci... what a gem!

be sure to check out her site to see all her beautiful floral creations - her portfolio just makes me want to plan my wedding again! :)

May 7, 2014

hilary barnett logo!



if you haven't come across hilary barnett's blog yet... well, let me introduce you! a few months ago, i had the lovely opportunity of painting her new logo header, and as soon as i read her blog, i was hooked! she offers so much wisdom and encouragement in her posts, it's like that book you just can't seem to put down - you just want to turn one more page, just one more chapter. her blog is unsurprisingly on my must-read list now.... and i'm sure it'll find it's way onto yours soon. :)

hope you're having a lovely week so far! happy wednesday friends!
xo