But what does God say about hope? About fear? Hang on. I'll go look...
HOPE
Romans 5:3-5
...but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, HOPE. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
Hope is the result of character. Isn't that odd? So, if we lose hope, it reflects poorly on our character. So, what about fear?
FEAR
The Bible is constantly telling us not to be afraid. In fact, God commands it (Joshua 1:9). We are reminded not to worry, not to be anxious.... to be courageous!Philippians 4:6-7
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
With that in mind... I will share my very first Bible journaling attempt with you. I won't be afraid that you'll judge me... right? :)
In the beginning....
Okay, so I got my NIV Journal Bible at the start of 2016. I was so excited! I'd seen all the amazing art on Pinterest that all the other creative-types did, and I just knew I could make beautiful verses come alive in my Bible!I began like God... in Genesis. :) I didn't have a grand plan, just an idea of what creation was like in my mind. Then I sketched it out in pencil, tried out my (then new) Micron pen, filled it in with Crayola Twistables and colored gel pens, and even experimented with my white ink pen... which sounds good in theory but has been a bit difficult to implement.
Well, it's not as easy as it looks, folks. Turns out, there's a lot of planning that goes into those too-perfect-to-be-real fonts and all those pretty how-do-you-get-it-to-look-like-that! watercolors that you see on Pinterest. But it came from my mind and heart. I love to doodle. So my style reflects that. It's not meant to be perfect, just fun and real and sometimes awkward... like me. :) I felt like a kid, bringing my clumsy art to God and saying, "Do you like it?"
And God saw that it was good....
All-in-all it makes me happy. It reminds me of creation. Isn't that really the point? To create something personal, bring verses to life? And to inhale God.... and exhale art, color, words, feeling?Don't be afraid. It's okay to mess up. God knows we're not perfect. He loves you anyway. I think if God had a fridge, he'd hang this on it and smile. And my little-kid heart is happy.
