"FORGIVEN" the full story

I have a strong sense about something I wanted to share with you. It’s not fun, glamorous or popular. And certainly not a topic you would typically find while scrolling through social media. Nonetheless, I feel it’s something I need to share.

This past September, I was attended a women’s conference and was so moved by the raw transparency of one of the guest speakers. The impact of her testimony left me feeling shaken. In the days that followed the event, I decided to work out what I was feeling through art.

Here is the interpretation for the piece I call “FORGIVEN

I started with hues of pinks, blues, yellows and greens for the background. Then I began to experiment with the shape of the cross which is a very different focal point in my work. I stopped there for a few days to consult with God. What is it? What are you trying to say Holy Spirit? I felt unsettled in my heart about this piece because I didn’t know where to go with it. Frustration set in and I was about to scrap it and start all over.

For the most part, I paint by instinct and feeling rather than by plan. Some refer to this as “intuitive” but I just call it letting the Holy Spirit flow through me. I don’t always know that its happening until later.

So back to the painting. I had already decided that this piece was too literal. Come on. A cross is so typical for a Christian to paint. It didn’t leave anything for the imagination of the person looking at it. So I decided to start making marks at the bottom because I was experimenting with a brush I hadn’t used in a long time. That’s when things began to happen.

At this point, I’m in the zone and I’m feeling like each mark represents a woman who has had an abortion and then every sin in my own life. I thought I was to fill up the entire background like tick marks on a tally sheet because there didn’t seem to be an end to my wrongdoings. I felt myself feeling overwhelmed with guilt, shame and hopelessness. I decided to stop there.

For the next few days, I sat with this piece several times a day. I’d stare at it and try to figure out what it needed. I can honestly say that I just didn’t like it. This was the confirmation I needed to paint over it and start again. But that wasn’t God’s plan for this piece.

As a last ditch effort, I picked up my paint brush one last time. I didn’t have anything to lose at this point so I continued with the marks at the bottom. Memories of my past came flooding back as each mark represented the wrongdoing in my life. I even started to recall participating in a workshop where the minister encouraged her attendees to write down every single sin and person they could think of and repent like there was no tomorrow. I mean who doesn’t want to keep sin alive and beat themselves up a little more for being an idiot. Needless to say, that’s what I continued to do in this painting until Jesus Himself stopped me.

I put my paintbrush down and began to weep. I heard Jesus say to me “You’re already forgiven. I already paid the price for you. You can’t pay for something that was already bought. Your sins; past, present and future have already been forgiven". He just kept firing all these facts at me. Of course I knew this intellectually because I’d heard and read it for myself for years. But on that day in September of 2016, His truth dropped into my heart and I believed it. I don’t have to hide anything about myself and neither do you. I picked up some charcoal, wrote the words on my painting , sealed it with varnish and called it DONE! It now hangs over the fireplace in my living room.

It really is DONE! For you and for me.

So today is November the 9th and the 2016 Election for Presidency has been determined and the rumblings that surrounded a major social issue exposed the darkness of abortion. As I spent time with God this morning, I committed to step out with more boldness. In doing so, He revealed to me how to introduce and use the painting I call “FORGIVEN”.

I know that God has been speaking into the ears and hearts of people who stand for abortion. Throughout this campaign and especially after the election, I sensed that many women and even men felt too condemned and/or didn't have the courage to vote against abortion because they have participated in the act in some way. Whether it be the women who had the abortion/s or the men who partnered with the decision. God showed me that many of these people who had something to do with abortion felt “hypocritical” in voting against abortion because of their own choices at some point in their life. They let the powers of darkness overshadow God truth.

I’ve heard the voice of the enemy saying “You hypocrite, you’re the worst sinner. Look at your own life, remember the things you’ve done in secret. Now you want to take a stand for the unborn when you yourself are a murderer? Sit down, shut up and hold your secret”.

These are the words of Satan himself and he uses them to drown out the voice of God in your heart. He tries to condemn you by making you believe that God could never forgive you. He twists things to make you believe that you have to keep secrets. He'll lead you into believing that you are justified in making certain decisions and that there will be no consequences. He's a deceiver and the father of lies. DON'T BELIEVE HIM! We are set free by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. You've heard the saying "knowledge is power" right? Get grounded in the Word of God. It is our best defense against the Accuser.

We have seen first hand that God is NOT afraid or offended by our past decisions or actions. He is the God of love, kindness and forgiveness. He calls each one of us to be HIS own. We truly are chosen and He sees no fault in us. Make Jesus the Lord and Savior of your life. You'll NEVER be sorry you did!

If this sounds like you or you've been blessed by this, I’d love to send you a print of “FORGIVEN” free of charge.

Remember:

You are God’s beloved!

You are His masterpiece!

Accepting God's forgiveness will set you FREE!

No sin is too great for God to forgive!

He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. Ephesians 1:7 NLT

Blessings,

Polly

Painter of His Love