So you might be asking, “What is a blessing board?”

The story behind the painting:

Above you will see the front and the backside of a creation that I affectionately named, a “Blessing Board.”

A brief history of my painting path, in case you are new to my blog:                                               I began painting about a year ago to raise my funds for a mission trip to Costa Rica.  I painted crosses primarily when I began.  They were all shapes, sizes, colors, and mediums.  Sometimes I would drive around and find scrap wood on the side of the road, or I would paint over unfinished canvases I already had at my house; one man’s trash truly can be another’s treasure.  If I was commissioned to paint a cross, I would pray for the one who commissioned it.  If I was painting large quantities of a particular style, I would pray for the Costa Rican mission trip with each brush stroke.

During this new season of painting, I found I loved it.  It became a form of meditation, an  act of worship and a gift to myself, and I pray others. The “Blessing Board” above was a gift I gave my husband last year for our 22nd wedding anniversary. I found an old shelf in my daughters closet that was not being used and decided it was the perfect (free) foundation for this new creation.  I stuck to the cross theme and covered each family member with one, attaching a scripture blessing written on the back.

Jake: (Ephesians 6:19)

Whenever Jake opens his mouth, give him words to say so that he will fearlessly make known the mystery of the Gospel.

Katie: (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Fulfill every good purpose in Katie’s life and every act prompted by her faith, so the the name of the Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in her life.

Jay: (Proverbs 4:5-7)

Give Jay wisdom and understanding. Do not let him swerve from your words or ever forget them. Cause him to love wisdom and to value it above all worldly desires and accomplishments.

Virginia: (Colossians 1:9-10)

Fill Virginia with the knowledge of your will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that she may live a life worthy of you and may please you in every way, bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of you, Lord.

Fletcher: (Matthew 5:16)

Let Fletcher’s light shine before others, that they may see his good deeds and praise you, our Father in Heaven.

This painting hangs in our den above the couch:

This is my family.  One of my greatest blessings, privileges, and responsibilities, as a wife and momma, is to circle them in prayer and words of life. May faith, hope and love reign in our home, with the greatest of these being

LOVE!

Take-away Treasure:

I strategically, and literally,  placed the “Blessing Board”, faith, hope and love over my family.  Look at the picture again.

It is a constant reminder.  It is a visual cue, as to the covering over my family, a sweet memorial stone of the God who holds us all and who entrusted a few of HIS children to me.  When I am feeling faithless, hopeless or less than lovely, I walk through that room and see  faith, hope and LOVE, like an umbrella of protection, guidance, and Presence in my home. I remember the blessings I have tucked away on the flip side of that board covered in crosses and I breath deep and easy.

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart;
don’t try to figure out everything on your own.
Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go;
he’s the one who will keep you on track.”
 (Prov. 3:5-6 MSG)

God gave me these treasures wrapped in skin and it is my job to point them to HIM by living a life wrapped up in HIM.  It was never my job to make them choose LOVE, for forced love is not love at all.

If our families only saw our lives, and we profess to love and follow Jesus, what would they think Jesus was like?

Would they say He was joyful? Kind? Gentle? Good? Compassionate? Loving? Patient? Peaceful? Faithful?

God never asked us to be perfect but HE did make a way for us to seek and find the One who is!

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”(Matthew 12 :34)

What words are we speaking over our families?

Do we have “Blessing Boards” or are they “beating boards”?

Speak Life!

“Let all that you do, be done in love.” (1 Cor. 16:14)

Are we living in such a way that our families see faithless, hopeless and loveless?

or

Are we showing them faithful, hopeful and LOVE-FULL?

Do they see the same life lived inside and outside our homes?

Live Life!

“…fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”  Romans 12:2 (MSG)

What are we fixing our attention on?

As we think, so we go!

Think Life!

Life has a name.

His name is Jesus!

Speak, live, and think Life, for ourselves and over our families!