God's Princess

Ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to be a princess. But for some reason (maybe due to Disney's influence), I was under the impression that a real princess had blond hair and was super sweet, always in a good mood, and never got into trouble. (Aside: Snow White's dresses, short hair and headband weren't princessy enough for me). With my jet-black hair and Native American looks, then-moody personality, and penchant for being punished by my parents, I gave up hope somewhere around middle school. But then when I got into bible study later on in life and really learned about the Gospel of the grace of Jesus Christ (the same one that Paul preached), I began to realize that, as a born-again believer in Jesus Christ, I am one of God's princesses. I am His child, the bride of Christ, and have been placed in a spiritual position to rule and reign with Jesus as a King and Priest--for ever!

It look a long time for me to believe that truth in my heart and accept it, but I am now getting that revelation, and it is very freeing! I believe all little girls are wired by God to come to the revelation and knowledge that they are His princesses in Christ Jesus! Think about all of that pink Walmart sells in the toy section--it takes up a whole double aisle! Where does that come from? It's been placed in us, in our very souls, but sadly, so few come to the realization of the truth regarding how God sees them. Tragedy, pain, lies from the enemy, and evil circumstances blind us to the truth, until somehow an unveiling by the Holy Spirit occurs.

This flowered cross is a tribute to my unveiling. Note the dark-headed princess underneath eating freely from the Tree of Life. The cross is the Tree of Life and I aim to eat freely with no guilt and no condemnation, because I am God's daughter, His princess--black hair and all!

The Cross Gets Bigger

My latest art project using sea shells I collected as a girl. When I was little, my parents would pack up the station wagon the day after the last day of school and move the family to the beach for the summer. Those were the days before video, cable TV, and smart phones, which left me and and my sisters little to do other than read countless books and roam the beach, scouring for sea shells. These shells were like treasure to me, as lovely as precious stones. Over the years, I've had dreams about gorgeous, gleaming conch shells piled as high as mountains, an endless supply of treasure for the taking. I know now that this was God's way of communicating the truth about all the blessings He has given me in Christ Jesus.

My vast collection of shells have remained in a bucket for many years, so I got the idea to decorate a cross using them in a decorative fashion as a piece of art. I like the message of using dead things on an instrument used for death, and then arranging them in a way that brings beauty, hope and life. Oh, and at the bottom, is an ocean scene that reminds me of my long, slow summers at the beach.

This cross stands over the mantle for now, replacing a much smaller cross that stood there for over ten years. A prophetic message to me -- the cross keeps getting bigger in my life.