i begin many of my writings
with these few words,
“i was born broken.”
if this is my truth,
if i stand by this today
as i have my entire life,
then where does that leave God?
For He is unbreakable.
He is strength.
He showed me how to
reconnect the shattered pieces
of not just my soul
but my life.
By using faith as the bonding agent
each fragment i left behind
or was taken from me
began to reappear.
I would weld it to my soul
by asking grace and forgiveness.
In my paintings i would connect
all the tiny strokes of color by
surrounding them in black,
thus giving the look of stained glass.
it was easy in this imaginary world of mine.
yet i was always searching for
how to fit together the rest of me.
the pure liquid essence of God
washes through me,
surrounding and encompassing my entirety.
it imprints upon my soul
the warmth and love of my Father.
more important,
the knowledge that i am
cleansed and forgiven.
I get this feeling
each time i float in the caribbean waters.
the color and warmth draw me in
as i lie upon my back
eyes closed
talking to God.
For He is my nautilus
and from Him
i draw all my GLLEAFF* .
I need the water to wash over me.
i need blue paints to brush on canvas.
turquoise walls in my home to calm me
bright whimsy fish upon my windows to greet me
each morning as i wake,
roll over,
gaze upon my painted waves
and say,
“Good morning God.”
I do not worship a caged God.
He is the wind which fills my soft sails, <<Click to Tweet
the sun that warms me,
the water that i float upon,
the soft sheets i sleep in
the smile upon my lips
and the grace that i carry within.
HE is life giving.
He is nourishment to the weary,
water to the seeds,
the sun to the flowers
the breath in me.
Born from Him,
i have refused to uncork my God.
For i fear by sharing Him
that i will never get back
that which i hold so sacred.
still,
God wakes me each day
and beckons me to
“hit the road so we can talk…”
i listen.
oh,
do i listen.
He speaks so softly
that i cry.
silence surrounding me
his words sing to my soul
and fill me up
with the assurance
that i can never lose Him
as i have lost my mother.
For even though i was “born broken,”
all i need do is fold myself
into Him
for He is whole.
He speaks the words,
“i am always with you
you are never broken
because you are my heart.”
my feet slow,
and i am lifted up
once more
into the palm of my Father’s hand,
cradled
and land back with my colored world
of brilliant light,
soft grace,
pure love,
true acceptance,
unfailing energy
unconditional forgiveness
inner strength
and the purest of faith.
in this case it is LGLAEFSF*
no matter how i spell it
what order it is in
it all comes from the center
of the Nautilus
which is God.
What is your center?
what’s in your chambers?
What do you need to work on?
Do you have too much of one thing?
If we revolve our world around our faith,
we evolve into His children,
no matter our age, race, sex, career.
when it comes to acceptance
we are all equal.
there is no monetary system
with God.
We need to do the work.
Place God in the center of your nautilus.
fill in the blanks surrounding Him.
we are all on different journeys.
but remember
all footpaths
eventually
lead us all to the same place-
Home.
Where is your home?
*Grace, light, love, energy, acceptance, faith, forgiveness…
*Light, grace , love, acceptance, energy, faith, strength, forgiveness….
Sheri Stewart is a Florida-based acrylic artist and writer. Her journey of faith and growth, writ upon canvas and journal. Sheri is married with five children and her two golden doodles Finn and Reed are often by her side.