Angels: All Around Us, All The Time

One of my favorite things about painting angels is the joy they seem to bring to the hearts and faces of others. Especially when there is a story of a personal experience with one of these angelic creatures behind the beaming smiles.
 
I had two of these experiences a couple of weekends ago while displaying my work at the Kentucky Art Market at Woodland Church.
 
A woman came into my display tent and told me about her daughter who, since the time she was three years old, could visually see angels. While her daughter is now in her twenties, and can no longer see them, she still remembers them and speaks with conviction about the fact that they are real and they are everywhere… “all around us, all the time”. More than that, she recalls a particular angel that was “her angel”, named Lucy. Story has it that once an “ugly angel” approached her and Lucy appeared and spoke to the angel, forbidding it’s presence and with a gesture of her arm forward, palm facing toward her, the “ugly angel” vanished.
 
I don’t know about you, but that story flooded my spirit with thanksgiving for heavenly creatures that are not only more real than our perceptions are capable of conceiving, but who also protect us! Praise God for that truth!
 
I was also thoroughly blessed to meet a local assistant pastor who shared her experience with the divine with me. She said she had been praying in her room, feeling very alone at that time in her life. She told me that God spoke to her heart, assuring her she wasn’t alone, but when she insisted that, in fact, she really was alone…
 
She opened her eyes and saw a heavenly host of angels surrounding her. She was absolutely astonished, as was I after just hearing her account of this miraculous vision.
 
It was over 95 degrees in my tent that day, but chill bumps ran from my head to my toes.
 
She asked me if I had seen them too, since my angel paintings had such a striking resemblance to the angels she saw in her room that day. And my answer was no, at least not in the same way that she had. But she assured me that what I haven’t seen with my eyes I have clearly sensed with my spirit… because my representation of angels, from her experience, was spot on. Tears stung my eyes and nose and I fought back a full-on overjoyed-bawl.
 
I can’t tell you how wonderful that experience made me feel or how thankful I was to God in that moment for using my hands to depict a glimpse of what He has so magnificently created. But I can tell you that these stories sum up my “why”… why I choose to paint predominately angels.
 
I paint them for Him. And He works through me to paint them for YOU… to spread light in darkness, to portray hope in times of devastation… and to speak love into a world that so desperately needs to be reminded His of love and ever-presence.
 
So whoever you are, and whatever you may be facing today, I want to offer you hope that you are never alone. You are utterly surrounded by angels, and by a heavenly Father who knows you by name and can save you from anything this world can throw at you. So let’s rejoice in that together today, my fellow believers.
 
But if you are just beginning your journey to find God and you would like to know more about how to reconcile and reconnect yourself to Him, through his son Jesus, please direct message me. I would be happy to talk to you about how Jesus bridges the gap between heaven and earth. And how He loves you so much that He came to this world to die for you (in order to do so!)
 
Lastly if you have had a personal experience with angels, I would be so thrilled and honored for you to share your story with me and this little community. Won’t you please leave a comment below or direct message me? I look forward to meeting you, friend, and hearing how you have been so richly blessed!
 
Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life." – John 8:12