Take my life...

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.

Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.

Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.

Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

Here I am, all of me.
Take my life; it's all for Thee.

We sang that song tonight at church. That second part, about my hands moving at the impulse of the Lord's love, was different for me tonight. I've been a writer for as long as I can remember. Even when I didn't know how to write the words in my heart, I actually enjoyed writing papers for school and stuff. This summer, after 10 days in Ecuador, I wrote my version of the story of our trip and it ended up being 26 pages long. (I may end up posting it in pieces here, let me know if you're interested.) After that, I started painting and discovered I'm actually kind of good at it. And I love it. Painting is an activity I can get completely lost in and the rest of my life disappears. And, more often than not, the picture I'm painting is the picture my heart sees when I read a particular passage of Scripture, usually with a particular person in mind.

That's what I did this afternoon. I spent the afternoon painting and framing a picture of a Bible verse (I can't tell you which one 'cause it's a Christmas present for someone and I'm afraid it would be too obvious); then went to church.

Buddy talked about not knowing what part of his life today would make a difference 100 years from now...I thought about that, too, and for the first time I really do feel like I am investing in lives and making a difference.

So, we sang that song and I realized that is how I feel when I paint. That my hands, my paintbrush is moving at the impulse of His love. His Word is His love letter to us and my art is my response to that. And at the same time, those lines became my prayer for my art. That people who view my art will see His love and that His heart will be the very essence of what I paint.

Look up, friends.