Together.

"The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." 

I love the verses of the bible about God as an artist- the ultimate creator and maker of heaven and earth.  

When I sit in front of a white blank canvas with my art supplies, I often times sit quietly and stare at the canvas before I even pick up my brush. In my mind I see the different images pass over my support base like a slideshow of film stills. Each image taking me back to a different set and stage of life. Sometimes it feels a little overwhelming- the feelings, the emotions, the rush of creativity that builds up and takes over. I begin to apply a vision. Before I know it, I'm immersed, invested, and my heart, mind and soul are being poured onto that white blank canvas. 

                         Together

 "Great things are done by a series of small things brought together." Vincent Van Gogh 

Viewing my marriage as art sometimes helps me with the "bigger picture"; seeing Jesus in the details reminds me why. 

Encouraging each other. 

Parenting together. 

Spending time together even if it's just watching our favorite Netflix series after a long day of his office work and my stay at home carnival train. 

Setting aside 5 minutes daily for a lunch break phone call.

Trusting and having faith in my husband as the leader of our home. 

Saying I'm sorry and forgiving each other when one of us is super sensitive and overly emotional (yeah that last part is all on me).

Working together through the small things; because a lasting, fruitful marriage- with all of its good, bad, and ugly is the bigger picture. It's a portrait of Christ and his church. A portrait with eternal value. 

When I see the vision Ryan and I share for our marriage, I see that choosing to invest and being purposeful in the "series of small things" are those very details that paint the story- those seemingly small things are the things that add up to the big picture. 

After all, sometimes you have to focus on the details to understand the masterpiece.