I'm no longer just a stick figure

"all who are gifted artisans"

Exodus 28:3

Have you ever seen those plastic plates that you draw yourself?  You know, they send you the circles of paper, then you send them back with your design on them, and they turn them into plates?

We did them as a project with our homeschool group several years ago ~ the kids were pretty young ~ and there were leftover blanks, so my hubby and I did a couple, too.  And we still have them.  I guess those plates are impressively durable, even if I do sometimes put them in the dishwasher!

Okay, so here are the plates.  Although I think we had one more, so maybe one did break somewhere along the line...

This one my baby boy did.  I think he was about 4 at the time.  Maybe 3.  See the chicken?  Not bad!  And then some, you know, abstract stuff...

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This one the Apple of my Eye did, and then my boy added his, you know, abstract stuff...

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This one is my girl's.  She was about 6 or 7.  And she has grown into an amazing artist.  You can see glimpses of it there.

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Another one by the Apple of my Eye.  Also a wonderful artist.  This is his dinnerware masterpiece, without the additional artwork by our son. 

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Okay, now mine.  Ready?  Please remember that I am the least talented artist in the family.  But I can write, and I can see colors where none of them can, so everything evens out, right?

And obviously, we were on a baseball theme, except for my girl.  Which is pretty typical for us. 

Okay, ready?

Now, I know it seems a little childish.   But you know what?  I'm really proud of it.  I worked really hard on it, and it's far better what I'm normally capable of.  My usual artwork consists of stick figures. 

I copied it from someplace; a collage in a book or Sports Illustrated or something.  Which is why the figures sort of just stop, cuz that's what they did in the picture from which I was copying. 

I've taken a little ribbing for my work.  Sometimes from people that I love.  But that's okay.  I know that's it's an improvement from what I've achieved in the past.  

Aren't you glad that God looks at each of us individually?  That He doesn't compare us to one another, but wants us to grow, each at our own rate, to be who He designed us to be?  It's not a competition, art or otherwise. 

I simply cannot compare to others in certain areas.  I need more work in areas that come easily to people I know.  But I'm not who I used to be.  And I can take joy in that.

~ "grow in the grace and knowledge

   of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

To Him be the glory, both now and forever" ~

2 Peter 3:18

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