Beloved

"Because I am the loved creation of so great a maker,
I cannot help but be a person of great worth."

This is a favorite quote that I copied onto card stock to use as a bookmark in my Bible. The quote came from a Bible study written by Beth Moore. Her commitment and passion to and for God are evident in her teaching.
This week a group from my church started Beth's study, "A Woman's Heart." I am looking forward to growing in my relationship with God, to learning, and spending time with the women in our group.

One thing that Beth very clearly points out is how the Bible assures us of how precious and loved by God that we all are. He created us. He cares about us each personally... not in some generic, universal sense.

I have peace and joy knowing that I always was and always will be loved.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 NIV

As for this 5"x7" mixed media piece, I built up the background using stamps and inks on bristol board. The woman was painted with Liquitex acrylics and accented with Caran d'Ache Neocolors II. The verse was printed on text weight paper. The technique for this piece was inspired by the art of Paulette Insall.
Drawing and painting people is still pretty new to me, so this was a challenging project. She was drawn partly from imagination and partly influenced by photographs. [It's a great cop-out when you've intentionally NOT tried to make a face look like someone. ;) ] I've been holding on to this image for a few weeks, still feeling shy about going "public" with it. I brushed a layer of gloss medium over it to seal it, but I should have spray sealed it first. The Neocolor II bled a bit and I lost some of the details.

Another reason I have been holding off posting this was not being sure how to share the inspiration behind the piece. It's hard for me to put into just a few words the significance of what having a relationship with God through Jesus Christ has been. Being confident of His love for me has change my life.

SO. Here's just a little piece of why I am SO GRATEFUL.
I am loved just because I'm me.
-Not because I did something nice today.
--Not because I worked hard at my job today.
---Not because I had a healthy lunch.
If it were left up to me, I'd never be good enough to be loved completely for always. The good news is that there is nothing I can do to make God love me more than He already does.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! "

I John 3:1 NIV

Thanks to Lucy whose post prompted me to "just move forward" and post this entry.