"Then God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind." so God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird--each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth." And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day." Genesis 1:14-19
Bunny rabbits have an evil cousin: the Yahbut. It's a fang-toothed, red-eyed, mangy, scar covered hare of a creature that stands in the way of success. It reeks of fear and doubt and indecision. Its droppings are shame and guilt. Its sole purpose is to stop us from venturing into uncharted territory.
God didn't create Yahbuts.
They were born the moment Adam and Eve ate the apple.
I think what makes a hero is someone who defeats their Yahbut. We see this time and again through stories in the Bible...Moses, Saul (Paul), and nearly every one of the Disciples. I am sure there are others. The one thing they have in common is they couldn't understand why God or Jesus chose them because they believed they were inadequate to the task. (The Yahbut whispered in their ear.)
"Trust Me," God says.
When God drove Adam and Eve from the garden, He made the first animal sacrifice. I often wonder how much it grieved God to kill His beautiful creation. He did it because He knew Adam and Eve were ashamed of their nakedness. He loved them enough to cover them so they were no longer ashamed.
God will meet you where you are at.
Even if you are intimidated by a blank piece of paper.
What do I do with it? What should I draw or write? What if it isn't good enough? What if I get it wrong...Yahbut questions I've asked frequently until I realized no one ever had to see what I created.
It was for God's eyes only.
Sometimes the art is meant to be destroyed as part of the prayer process but not ever, ever because it wasn't good enough. Sometimes there's a need to start again. Sometimes it takes a half dozen tries before finding the right image. It's okay to change what was drawn or painted. God always allows the space to tweak our creations (He gave us erasers for a reason.) Sometimes it's about simply practicing or exploring the possibilities every art tool provides. Sometimes the art is simply entering into a posture of play and has no higher calling than to be fun. (The Yahbuts might object to this. Just sayin'.)
I haven't talked about the tools needed to embark on this journey of visual prayer. It needn't be expensive. Pick up a sketchbook or notebook that will be dedicated to exploring the Art of Prayer. It is good to have a place to look back on your creations and see the progress...there will be progress! Make sure you like the feel of the paper. I will recommend a spiral bound book because they lay flat on the table.
I could list all the various types of drawing tools but realized this is a good place to begin dialoging with the Lord. The local dollar store has racks of art materials. Pause a moment, ask the Lord, then see what tweaks your interest over and above traditional back to school supplies. You'll need those for sure.
Saving magazines doesn't hurt either if collage is something that interests you.
Yahbut? You don't belong here any more.
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