Prophetic Painting in the Busyness of Life

When God Tells Us To Slow Down

Life in the early noughties was hectic, with three beautiful children and Edmund working long days. We were involved in worship at church and ran a Life Group too. Anyone who has raised a family will recognise the pressures of this stage of family life; busy, busy, busy and not much spare cash either.

Our lovely home needed a lot of work, and we were also outgrowing the space. So I needed to get back to work, further increasing life's pressures.

My internal life at this time was one of constant anxiety. If I wasn’t worrying about what I had to get through each day, I was concerned about the next day, and next week. There never seemed to be enough time and the only way to cope was to remain constantly on the move.

Life was so busy that I rarely had time for painting, and the church's commitment to a regular 24/7 prayer slot was my main excuse to set time aside and listen. One particular night, God told me to ‘stop’, and trust Him to keep things under control - quite a hard message when life seems impossibly busy. I barely had time to sleep, let alone rest in God’s presence. But the message was clear.

I did my level best to paint the picture and, though I have little experience of figurative work, the picture still reminds me of that time so clearly. God saw me flapping around and, like any good parent, He advised me to take time out and rest.

My internal life is much quieter these days, but I keep this picture close by as a reminder to try and move at a manageable pace.

What are you anxious about today? Is God telling you to take time out and rest?

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