What Makes Your Heart Soar?

How does one take an idea, a dream, a calling and a desire and build it into reality?

I don't think a day goes by that I don't feel like I'm not quite doing what I am meant to be doing. I suppose everyone plays that guessing game at some point. I truly do believe I'm living in my 'sweet spot' to a point; I get to do what I love everyday.

Create.........

Teach.....

Me, teaching my 'folk art mermaid students' how to draw a simple face.

And see my ideas come to fruition.......

A pix from 'An Afternoon with Dad' art class. An idea to help daddy's and daughters spend more time together.

What more could I want?

All these make me happy. But there has to be more. I have to admit that whenever I come up with a new idea, I still get that nasty old feeling...'how is this going to benefit me?". I don't like that. The criteria for saying 'yes' to something should not be based on the attention or money it will bring me. I hate that part of me.

Lately, there have been NUMOROUS times I've opened my bible right to 2 different spots. One in Proverbs 13:7 (Message Version) says,

"a pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life."

The other is Matthew 6: 31 (Message Version),

"What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving."

I've always written these off as, 'woops.....didn't mean to open there. Flip away, flip away!!!"

But I WAS meant to open there. My pride and my love of money are 2 of my biggest downfalls. What do to, what to do when you are deep in the pit of your vices.

I believe God is calling me to give more. Oh, we give lot's of money to a variety of places. Money is easy to give. I generally have no emotion tied to it. No, I believe God is calling me to give of myself. Give of my artistic talents to create neat events like family evenings for the Ronald McDonald house families. Art events full of free classes, live music, cupcake tastings, portions of art sales to help the Ronald McDonald House feel a little more like home to those families living there for a time.

I also feel called to use Sanctuary of Davidson to support orphans at the Grace Life Childrens Home in India. It's a place where 29 orphans live together in about 1800 - 2000 square feet. My church has 'adopted' the orphanage but there are still kids who are not supported. It costs $150 to ensure one child gets the resources he or she needs and some families are co-sponsoring kids to take the burden off during these tough times. And it's not like those crazy commercials on t.v. where you don't know where the money is going. Our church takes trips there, we get to skype our girl, Meena, and Kevin will be heading there in September to help more.

Is Sanctuary supposed to be a place that just brings money and glory to art, artists and myself? Shouldn't it be a 'home' of sorts for love and giving? There is a reason someone suggested I name it 'Sanctuary'. That was long before all these ideas but it was definitely the foreshadow of a calling.