A New Door

I would like to share with you why my second Bible journal page means so much to me.

A few years ago I asked God to use me in some way, I wanted to mean something, I wanted to make a difference. While I prayed, this thought went through my mind...”what on earth will God be able to use me for”... And there I left it.

At that stage in my life I did not realize the power of prayer, that when I pray, He listens. It was not long after that prayer that He gave me exactly what I had asked of Him. He was going to use me in a way I could never have dreamed of or imagined. It was only the beginning.

I had received a key to unlock the first door He put on my path. It was my choice to either unlock that door or to turn around and walk away. Behind the first door would be another one and another one. One by one I would receive my keys which would, over time, lead me onto new unknown paths.

Many times I found myself standing at a new door, the key already in my hand and not being able to unlock it because I feared the unknown. Like Jeremiah, I had excuses:” Lord, I cannot do this, I am afraid, I do not speak well, I am too shy, I do not have enough knowledge, etc.”

This is what God answered Jeremiah and therefore also answered me: “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken! Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said,

“Look, I have put my words in your mouth!”

So whenever you are stuck facing a new door, with the key in your hand, take a deep breath, think of this passage and trust in His Word...unlock the door and embrace the new journey He has planned for you.

Page Process: Trail and Error

My second page I had planned out perfectly, just to end up with a “not so perfect” page.

I wanted to use watercolor paint, so in order to do that it is recommended to first prep your page by using clear gesso.

Gesso is the primer you apply to your page before applying your paint or ink. It keeps the paint from soaking into and bleeding through the page.

So off I went to buy my gesso and watercolor paint.

Hours after applying the gesso and paint, certain parts of the page still felt sticky.

I googled and got the advise to “powder my page” so I ran for my baby powder and powdered over all the sticky patches.

It worked well, and smelled great, but still had a few sticky patches, so I added some stickers – problem solved!

This “trail and error session” led me to a very talented and inspiring Bible Journaler, Taryn Snyman @journal2faith.

For loads of inspiration, go check out her fb page www.facebook.com/journal2faith/

May you have a day filled with beautiful Bible art!