Tag: art

Grasping For Air

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in Art Therapy, awareness, Bible, Catholic Faith, Catholic Journey, Catholicism, Christianity, creativity, Depression, Faith, God, Jesus, My journey with Jesus, Personal Reflection, Poetry, Poetry/Lyric, Praise, sketching, Spirituality

smog covers the sky

like a blanket of despair

Grasping for air

to see beyond the stratosphere

I offer a silent prayer to all the firefighters battling the flames

For those forced to move out of its fiery path

There are things and situations that are literally out of our control, when all we can do is take the time to breathe. To see beyond the smoggy din that surround our lives and grasp for air.

Breathing Space (June 6, 2023)

Looking out into the ominous sky, I look beyond it and look deeply at its implications for my own well being. I can let it drag my mood down, or look beyond it to see hope. Within my magnified space, I offer up a silent prayer to God for all the firefighters working vigorously to put out the flames. I pray for all those who have been displaced by the gravity of the forest fires (Quebec). I let God do his job.

breathing space

just to breathe. i am alive

grasping for air

my magnified space

allowing myself to go with the flow

Don’t forget Jesus too often withdraw from his disciples to pray: 16 But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. Luke 5:16

Philippians 4:6 reminds us to take the time and offer up our angst and worries to God:

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

God Bless 💖🙏

State Of Flow

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in Art Therapy, Catholic Faith, Catholic Journey, Christian Blogger, Christianity, creative expression, Faith, Forgiveness, illness, inspiration, joy, Reflection, sketching, Spirituality, Testimony, watercolours

There is anxiety and stress. There is also depression. Coming from a Christian and Chinese cultural milieu, I use to feel guilt that I would have these conditions.

As part of my own psychological and spiritual journey, I now acknowledge that it’s ok to go through anxiety, stress, fear and even depression. Going through life changes and growth is never easy. It can disable me, or it can create so much fear and panic that I don’t want to leave the confines of my home.

I have been working with a St. Ignatius Spiritual Director for the past few years as part of my own spiritual journey to love, know and do God’s will. Part of this is shedding away all the layers of “things” piled upon me in my 60 plus years of life.

The awareness of how much psychological and emotional baggage I carry on my shoulders is daunting. Spiritual awareness is letting go of all the “stuff” that keeps me from God.

Hand in hand in my spiritual journey the past few months is seeing my art therapist. Through visualization, I can explore those areas in my psyche which chains me. Art therapy and my spiritual direction helps in healing me to be the person I was meant to be in God’s image.

I am going through a personal transformation and letting go of emotional and psychological chains to becoming my authentic self. Free from the sins of the “father” and all those “ism” that has unconsciously molded and shaped the neurotic, anxious and stressed out me. It is and has been a healing journey.

Christian work ethic was my moral compass. Topped with the drive, angst and expectations of my immigrant parents – where my Chinese cultural repertoire often conflicted with my Christian one. I was a CBC – Canadian born Chinese.

The pace of life since university and then career set the pace for the next 30 years. It shaped my friendships and social environment. Fast forward into my 60s is the realization that I existed in a pressure cooker. The past many months have seen me breaking free to find my authentic self in the mundanity of my life. The career that once gave me much joy, is now but a shallow prison. Friendships were based on a thin thread of association and easily sever (for the first time C.S. Lewis’ The Four Loves made sense). I let the “stuff” of the world come between me and God.

Aside:

Luke 24 is pivotal in my state of flow. Mediating on Mary Magdalene’s grief over the death of her beloved friend and the disciples focus on the current news until they recognize Jesus when he broke bread, all help me understand that peace and joy comes only from fixing our focus on Jesus.

With my eyes on Jesus, I can move towards healing my mind, body and soul. All those angst and inner pain starts to slowly flow out of me. Yes, it is taking proactive action on my part to get better. Now, I can move towards the next phase of my life because my gaze is on Jesus. Only then can I let go of my baggage. I can now grieve and walk towards the light – because I am safe in Jesus’ embrace.

Resource: The Catholic Guide To Depression, by Aaron Kheriaty

The Four Loves, by C. S. Lewis https://ia800104.us.archive.org/27/items/fourloves01lewi/fourloves01lewi.pdf

Thank you for letting me share my journey with you. Jesus loves each of us at whatever point in life we are at. I pray that each of you walk with him into the light. All the things we once deemed important, hurtful, or heavy falls to the wayside.

God Bless 🙏💕

Compass

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in art, Art Therapy, awareness, Christian Blogger, Christianity, inspiration, Spiritual Direction, Spiritual Journey, Testimony

The Rhythm of My Life (2021)

Looking into the blue. The deep reaches to you layered by the hazy translucent clouds and wisp of white clouds moving to life’s beat – the rhythm of my life.

Into the stratosphere I think to myself – how beautiful is your creation. My soul longs to reach out to you.

I rejoice and sing songs of praise to your beauty. My heart explodes in love as I think how wonderful it is to have you in my life.

I imagine I have wings to fly high to you. But I can. My soul can swirl up high towards you.

Funeral March Sketches (April/May 2023)

Much of this new body of work arises out of a many weeks meditation and prayer on Luke 24.

My son calls this phase of my life my “Funeral March.” He said this as a joke as we reflected on his photographs of me, but it gave me pause for thought.

Hence, I coin this body of work and reflection Funeral March.

Grieving

Yes, there is definitely grieving as I let go – of all the “isms” that have molded and shaped my life. Now is the time to return to my authentic self – the person I was created to be before all the baggage was piled up upon me to the point where I was no longer recognizable – to myself. Grace awareness is what I call this journey.

What is reflected back at me?

Looking towards the light – peace and joy can only exist when I let go.

Working with an Art Therapist and a Spiritual Director goes hand in hand (for me). Healing is not only about self care, but also within – the soul. My body is temporal, my soul is eternal.

Thanks to my readers for letting you share this process with you.

Blessings and I pray your path is filled with joy and peace in your spiritual journey. 💖🙏

Emptying Myself

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in art, Catholic Faith, Catholic Journey, Catholicism, Christian Blogger, Christianity, creative expression, sketching

13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. Romans 15:13

I had a hard time grasping the statement “the mysteries of God”.

It was not something I could measure, analyze or break down into recognizable components. I could not decipher something that was out there in the ethers.

I even recalling asking my confessor, “How do I move from the head to the heart?” He replied, “Pray!” Praying for the grace to understand was what I did!

Hunger Pain

Moving from the mind to the heart took time for me. I prayerfully asked the Holy Spirit to guide me. Then finally, it all came together, and I was able to grasp the mysteries – I was able to understand not in my head space, but feel it deep within me.

In retrospect, my being able to comprehend the mysteries of God was part of my own growth, trust, and deeper relationship with Christ. I also came to the understand that my journey with Jesus was not only getting to know him, to draw near to him and love him more, but to hear his call – which meant knowing Jesus through his words – the scripture – and knowing him more intimately from within.

These sketches represent my process of breaking away from the structure of figurative drawings and trusting my heart and feelings. There is a freedom in working intrinsically – imagining my body as a landscape – moving from my headspace (figurative /the body/structure) to create outside the box.

The mysteries of faith is similar- letting go of seeing the world from my head and moving to my heart – emptying out all of my ego, all my intentions and preconceptions to let the Holy Spirit fill me up.

New Life

Praise be to God!

Blessings💖

Finding My Quiet Space

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in art, Christian Blogger, Christianity, creative expression, creativity, Healing, sketching, watercolours

Having my own quiet time is an important part of my daily walk with Jesus. The pass several weeks, this includes time to draw, sketch or paint. Today, I imagined what my quiet and private space looks like.

Jesus often spent time alone with his Father:

35 And in the morning, a great while before day, he rose and went out to a lonely place, and there he prayed. Mark 1:35

In my busy world trying to keep up my mom face, keeping positive, and, juggle all facets of daily life, I don’t allow myself the time to be think, reflect, be sad, down, or even depressed. These days, I take some time and do exactly that – allowing myself to say – I don’t feel too happy today. I feel achy and my joints hurt. I’m feeling sad! Time to cry! Taking ownership of these negative feelings allows me to own it and give them up to Jesus.

Sketch
Larger drawing
“Finding my quiet space to create.”

Yup, there is time spend on prayer, in reading the scripture, but time spent owning the “bad, good and the ugly”,” and giving it up to Christ gives me a sense of release and peace.

God Bless🙏💖

Sharing the Light of Jesus

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in art, Christian Blogger, Christianity, creative expression, creativity, inspiration, Jesus, sketching, watercolours

Mary Magdalene loved Jesus. When Jesus casted out all the demons from her life, she was healed and began a new life:

“Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. There Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out…” Luke 8:1-2

I can imagine how difficult her life must have been before she met Jesus. Due to her psychological mind frame, she must have been scorned by all, and probably lived in isolation.

Her sadness upon discovering Jesus’ body gone must have distressed her, and seeing Christ, I can imagine her running to him and holding Him tightly in an embrace.

Jesus asks, “Woman, why are you weeping?”

His wounds fresh, Jesus tells her, “Stop holding on to me.” Jesus had not ascended yet. He gives Mary Magdalene a mission.

My question to myself is, “What mission does Jesus give me?”

How do I feel about the resurrected Christ? How has it changed my life?

As part of my Art Therapy session today, I was asked, “how would I imagine myself as a landscape?” My thoughts drifted to Mary Magdalene, her search for Jesus when she thought He was gone, and then running off to share the good news. I closed my eyes and imagine my arms outstretched embracing the world sharing the light of Christ.

Sketch and painting: How do I imagine myself as a landscape? April 19, 2021
Sharing The Light of Christ

Gospel Jn 20:11-18

Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.
And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb
and saw two angels in white sitting there,
one at the head and one at the feet
where the Body of Jesus had been.
And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “They have taken my Lord,
and I don’t know where they laid him.”
When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there,
but did not know it was Jesus.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?
Whom are you looking for?”
She thought it was the gardener and said to him,
“Sir, if you carried him away,
tell me where you laid him,
and I will take him.”
Jesus said to her, “Mary!”
She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,”
which means Teacher.
Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me,
for I have not yet ascended to the Father.
But go to my brothers and tell them,
‘I am going to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God.’”
Mary went and announced to the disciples,
“I have seen the Lord,”
and then reported what he had told her.

God Bless 💖

Heart On Fire

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in Catholic Journey, Christianity, creative expression, creativity, Faith, inspiration, Jesus, sketching, watercolours

Healing…what is it? We read of Jesus’ miracles of healing the sick, the blind and the crippled.

I think as much as they are real, the healing of Jesus is also a metaphor for us. A dark to light, or an unveiling of our eyes so that we see the truth – that is the only truth – that is in God the Father, in Jesus His beloved son, and in the Holy Spirit.

I can say this because I realize I am being lead by the Holy Spirit in a healing journey – and in the process giving me a greater insight into what it means when Jesus heals. It’s not some miraculous healing of the soul – it’s the choice within me to propel forward by faith into his embrace to be heal. It also means effort on my part to be an active participant in the healing process. A spiritual journey so to speak.

May 18, 2021

Picking up my sketch book for the first time in a long time, I am moved to draw and sketch again as I work through my heart. I feel this journey is for the healing of my soul.

It is about me saying a strong YES to my own existence! Reclaiming and letting the hand of God mold me in His image.

May 18, 2021

Thank you Jesus for your arms of love ❤️‍🔥my heart on fire for You.

Praising God

by rejoiceandpraise, posted in art, Catholic Journey, Catholicism, Christian Blogger, Christianity, creative expression, creativity, Faith, inspiration, Lifestyle, My journey with Jesus, Personal Reflection, Praise, Relationship, sketching, Testimony, watercolours

Almighty God, I lift up my hands praise!

I’m embarrassed to show my watercolours, as they are often quick ink sketches. They are like journal entries, expressing of my thoughts about Jesus and my relationship with Him.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him. And he with Me.” Revelation 3:20

They are also about finding hope in Christ in our lost humanity. His Salvation and Glory is free. All we need to do is accept it as Zaccheus (Luke 19: 1-10) did.

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, The Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.” Revelation 4:8
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” Luke 23:34

Jesus died for the mankind’s original sin (The Fall of Man in Genesis 3) so that we may be redeemed if we believe in Him. When I think about His death on the cross, I am thankful that an unworthy sinner like me can be forgiven all my sins. I thank God for letting me draw closer to Him.

In return I send praises to my Almighty God, to Jesus the Son, and to the Holy Spirit for giving me the gift of faith. I, in turn, share my faith with all of you.

That each of you find the time to pray and draw into a closer relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

God Bless.