I am a runner. In all senses of the word, I am a true runner at heart. I’ve run two marathons since my kids were born, and running nearly every day helps keep me sane. It’s predictable and steady, just one foot in front of the other and eventually you’ll finish a race. There’s also something about the rhythmic nature of running that clears my mind and brings a new level of focus. I’m not necessarily fast, but I am persistent and have pushed through a few obstacles to accomplish my running goals. I also have a runner mindset when it comes to other parts of my life. When I get a goal in my head, I work and sweat until I get it accomplished. Sometimes that means painting the whole house in just under a week. Sometimes it means re-organizing all of our clothing Marie Kondo style (I loved the book before the show, but the show has re-invigorated me!). When I decided mid-stream to jump career paths and become a teacher, I had a teaching job in less than a month. In general, I go after dreams and get goals accomplished.
I recently came across this quote while admiring the work of some of the other ladies on the By the Well 4 God Creative Team (Check out their instagram links here!). The quote spoke to my runner’s heart, and I spent some time reflecting on the moments when I’ve jumped the gun, put the cart before the horse, and a million other cliche lines that just reveal my impatience. God’s will is always the right choice. And sometimes, His direction has not been my direction of choice. When I’ve tried to fight what I knew God wanted for me, it was like running into a brick wall over and over again. Absolutely pointless. He will always be there to guide us, we just have to be tuned in to hear his voice.
In Day 13 of the BTW4G devotional, “I Am”, we are asked to reflect on the 6th “I Am” statement presented in the gospel of John.
“‘And you know the way to where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.'” John 14:4-7
Jesus brought us access to God and to God’s will for our lives. Through Him, all things are possible. We can accomplish amazing feats and lofty dreams as long as we are headed in the direction God lays out for us. God wants me to run hard and push for my goals and dreams, but He certainly wants me to check in through Jesus before I get started!
This page took a bit of prep work, but once all the pieces were prepared, it came together very quickly. I’ve had a lot of fun experimenting with tissue paper recently in my journaling. Its translucent appearance makes it ideal for working in a Bible. For a stamping novice like myself, working with tissue paper also gives me a chance to practice my stamping and move pieces around a page, without worries of a mishap. And, can we talk about how affordable it is?!? It’s one of my go-to purchases at the Dollar Tree! (For other must-have crafty items from the Dollar Tree, check out THIS post!)
Layering the pieces over each other also created a very cool textured effect without adding a great deal of bulk to the page. To begin, I used clear gesso to adhere a piece of white tissue with silver foiled dots to lay down an easy backdrop. I envisioned laying the flowers from pink to blue to purple as I worked down the edge of the page, but besides that, I did not plan a layout in advance. Armed with clear gesso in one hand and a stack of tissue paper flowers in the other, I worked my way down the page, playing with the layering and moving back over the top when I felt there was a hole. I’m super pleased with the end result.
I wanted the “I Am” statement to be big and bold, so I reached for glitter chipboard letters from my stash. Working in the Illustrating Bible with larger margins has really given me the freedom to reach for a lot of supplies that I had never considered using in my Bible before! Using alphas from BTW4G that coordinate with the colors of this month’s kit, I created banners highlighting “The Way”, “The Truth”, and “The Life”.
The compass die-cut piece included in the kit fit perfectly with the theme of this page, but I felt it looked like an after-thought when I originally added it. Lori included small pieces of tulle in this month’s kit, so I grabbed two of the pieces to back the compass. I love the dimension it adds! I incorporated a third piece of tulle into the fabric clip at the top of the page so that the look would be cohesive.
To wrap it up, I marked the verses with simple underlining and added the quote from Oswald Chambers. I opted for my own handwriting to add a bit of personalization to the page…check out my other reasons HERE!. Like I said before, the page took some time to prep, but all of that time was precious time spent in prayer and reflection. In the midst of my crazy life raising three little ones, when I can find that extra time to put some more details on a page, I am going to jump at the chance every single time!
God has sent me running in a whole new direction for 2019 and it has me so excited! What direction is God sending you in this year? Feel free to leave me some thoughts in the comments below… I’d love to strike up some conversation with you 🙂
Love the “I Am” kit? Here’s another blog post devoted to the same themes…“What a Powerful Name It Is!”
Keep it creative!
-The Scrappy Wife
Supplies Used:
- “I Am” Devotional Kit from By the Well 4 God
- Coordinating alpha stickers from By the Well 4 God
- Pastel Tissue Paper
- Black Archival Ink
- Art basics Clear Gesso
- Silver glitter chipboard alpha (linked to a similar product…)
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