THRIVE
Thrive is the prompt word for Day 25 of #write28days. What makes you thrive?
Several things come to mind for me, but the bottom line, the foundation of my whole life, is God.
Who do I have in heaven but you?
And I desire nothing on earth but you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart,
my portion forever.
My relationship with Him gives me strength and courage to write, to do art, to love my family and more. This double page from my art journal illustrates this truth.
THRIVE WITH INSPIRATION FROM GOD AND OTHERS
Each morning, as much as possible, after breakfast I head upstairs to my desk to have a time of reading my Bible and prayer. I keep a candle there but do not always light it. Having this time alone with God to start my day helps me to thrive, because I remember my source.
Exodus 15:2 (CSB)
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation.
This is my God, and I will praise him,
my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
Sometimes I even mix in a little artwork as part of my worship time.
Here is a photo of what I see as I sit at my desk.
The following photo is the upper shelf of the desk, which houses some books, my finished art journals, crochet and cross-stitch by my mother and various knickknacks. I love the wooden perpetual calendar. Having all this in front of me while I study or make art gives you an idea of how other people inspire me through their work.
THRIVE BY MAKING AND SHARING ART
One of my favorite things to do is make collages. Sometimes I add found poetry, and sometimes I leave the collage as is. I might also take a photograph of the finished page and add a scripture using a computer program. Here is the front cover of my 2019 art journal. I hope to fill it this year with collage or other forms of art.
I also have a sketch book where I practice drawing mostly with pencils, sometimes adding color. Taking photographs also is a form of art that helps me thrive. I share drawings and photographs on Instagram.
Getting Outdoors
One of the best ways to refresh and make me feel alive is to get outside. Recently the weather has been either cold or rainy, and I’ve been sick. Today is a fairly nice day, so I plan to take some time outdoors to breathe in the fresh air, see the beauty and listen to all the sounds of nature.
Psalm 59:16-17 (CSB)
But I will sing of your strength
and will joyfully proclaim
your faithful love in the morning.
For you have been a stronghold for me,
a refuge in my day of trouble.
To you, my strength, I sing praises,
because God is my stronghold—
my faithful God.
This is not an exhaustive list by any means. I just wanted to show you some of the things that help me do more than just survive.
What about you? What helps you thrive? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
You can find the rest of my #write28days series HERE.
I like the idea of thriving on inspiration. Writing and creativity is worship to me.
Yes, I don’t really know what I’d do without the ability to write and create. Blessings to you, Rebecca!
This is so beautiful Gayl! Thank you for giving us a glimpse into your creative space, and all of the beauty that you are surrounded with. I like the way that you have your art journals facing open towards you, almost as if they are calling you to peek inside and remember the moments of beauty that are captured there. Thank you for bringing such encouragement to watch for ways that God brings us to life, thriving and full of wonder. Blessings, love and hugs to you my sister/poet/friend! xo
Thank you so much, Bettie. It was a fun post to share some of my favorite things to do. Those art journals are so fun to look through occasionally and they bring back memories. I’m happy that I can share what I have. It’s a blessing to me to do that. Blessings, hug and much love to you, my sister/poet/friend! xoxo
Reading, writing, sharing time in His Word and being with family are some of the things that help me thrive. 🙂
Yay! Looks like we share a lot of the same things in life. Blessings to you, Melissa!
Love getting a glimpse into your day and home. You are so creative, warm and inviting, Gayl. It would be so lovely to be able to visit you (and Bettie) physically, rather than just through Skype and Messenger. Maybe one day.
Thank you, Anna. Oh, I would so love to spend some time in person with you and Bettie! What fun and blessings we would share! We can pray. Maybe God will answer that prayer one day. Blessings, hugs, and much love to you, dear Anna. xoxo
I really like your collage art — it inspires me to take it up again! Yours is beautiful, colourful, interesting. What helps me thrive is walking, being in the woods, being on the beach, exploring new places, gardening, looking at art, being with friends.
Thank you so much, Molly. I hope you do take up collage art again. It’s so fun and relaxing. Oh, I also love walking in the woods and along the beach and art and friends… Sounds like we are “kindred spirits” like in Anne of Green Gables. Blessings to you!
Your art is so beautiful! Thank you for sharing these verses; the last one really speaks to me. I also enjoy spending time outdoors but have been unable to for many weeks due to the harsh winter conditions up here in North Dakota. What I do though to help is listen to the sounds of nature through various videos on You Tube. This helps me stay focused as well as to keep the depression at bay. God bless!
Thank you, Carrie Ann. Some of the artwork on my desk was done by my daughters and some by friends and myself. I also love those verses that are so comforting. What a good idea to listen to the sounds of nature when you can’t get outside! I’m sure that would be inspiring to hear, though the snow may cover the outside. Blessings to you!
I like the cover of your art journal and love the idea of going outdoors and breathing in the fresh air and seeing the beauty of nature since I am one of the people who stay indoors a lot.
Thank you so much, Adrienna! I’m glad you like the art journal cover. I tend to stay indoors too much, too. But I love getting outside. It’s so inspiring to breathe the fresh air and see the beauty. Blessings to you! Thank you for visiting and commenting on my blog. 🙂
Its amazing…..especially your collage work with lots of creativity and full of colors.As I told you before, you always encourage others with His great love and at the same time you spreads the beauty of nature and enjoy it at the fullest.
Prayers!
Thank you so much, Athira! My heart is to share God’s love and encouragement. Blessings to you!
My email has been overloaded – so many posts have been pressed under the load. As I am trying to get through it all, I found this. Maybe it will bring a bit of refreshment even now.
Thanks for all the inspiration you share!