art Archives - Lauren Sparks

In 2018, British street artist Banksy sold a painting (“Girl With Balloon”) at auction for $1.4 million. What no one suspected was that the frame had a shredder built into it. The moment the sale was done, the piece slowly lowered through the blades, cutting the bottom half into tiny strips. The new owner allowed the altered art work to be displayed after the event made national news – and a household name of the artist. Have you ever wondered what makes something valuable?

While many were appalled by this turn of events, others considered it performance art. And 3 years later, the owner put the piece up for sale again (it was renamed “Love is in the Bin”) and it sold to an anonymous collector for $25.4 million. Because of the buzz generated and Banksy’s growing fame, the “ruined” painting fetched almost 25 times the original value.

I admittedly know nothing about art. I remain baffled at times by what some consider art. Talent is easy for me to see and admire at times. But to be frank, some very expensive pieces look like kindergarten coloring to me. What is it that makes one painting valuable and another relatively worthless? Although there are undoubtedly some very scholarly explanations for this, what it all boils down to is what someone is willing to pay for it.

What Makes Us Valuable?

Do you ever have doubts about your value and worth as a person? Our Heavenly Father places your value far above a Banksy painting. He loves you so much that He wants a relationship with you and wants to build you a home in heaven for eternity. And to accomplish this, He gave up His son to die in your place for you sins. Jesus died for me too (I’m so grateful), but He would have gone to the cross if you were the only one who needed saving.

Jesus paid for your life with His. He paid the ultimate price, which makes you ultimately and infinitely valuable.

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If you have not experienced the sacrificial love of this Savior, I would be honored to talk to you more about Him. Click on “Contact” from the menu at the top of this page to send me a private message. I will email you back, call you or meet up in person if you are in the DFW metroplex. There is nothing I would rather talk about.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 NIV

And now for this week’s featured post from the link up!

An Unwanted Answer from instaencouragements.com was just what I needed this week. I sometimes feel like my life is a series of unwanted answers and this post brought peace with the reminders that God is in control and can work wonders where I cannot see them.

The Link Up

1. Sha re 1 or 2 of your most recent CHRISTIAN LIVING posts. (No DIY, crafts, recipes, or inappropriate articles.) All links are randomly sorted.

2. Comment on 1 or 2 other links. Grace & Truth linkup encourages community.

3. Every host features one entry from the previous week. To be featured, include this button or link back here on your post (mandatory to be featured, but not to participate).

We encourage you to follow our hosts on their blogs or social media.

MAREE DEE – Embracing the Unexpected
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LAUREN SPARKS
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LISA BURGESS – Lisa notes
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TAMMY KENNINGTON – Restoring hope. Pursuing peace.
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Now Let’s Link Up!

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Today, I want to introduce you to Connie Rowland from Master’s Hand Collection. Connie’s an artist who highlights sign language in her works of art. She always has hands, in particular, God’s hands on her mind. Her desire is for you to experience God’s hand in a personal way. Below is an excerpt from her new devotional 7 Simple Ways to See God’s Hand in Your Life. I’m sure you’ll find encouragement and inspiration as you begin to see God’s hand for yourself. Here’s what Connie has to say:

The burdens and worry of life are never far away. Concerns about family, work, health, etc., are a part of our everyday routine. They can sometimes consume our thoughts and actions, leaving us feeling beaten down, tired, and ready to give up. In this mind-frame, it can be hard to see God’s hand clearly.

Because that’s what we want most when life takes a turn for the worst. To see God’s hand in the middle of the mess and to know we are protected and safe.

This verse is one you might be familiar with. It is quoted often in church or at Bible study. But I’d like for us to take a closer look…

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

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It sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Just cast all your cares on God and let Him handle them. But, in reality, it’s a difficult thing to do.

Of course, we want to cast our cares on God and know He has them under control. We want to do the right thing and take our worry, regret, and pain to Him.

The problem is, most of us are pretty good at taking them back faster than we left them in the first place. I know from personal experience.

We needlessly carry the worries on our own shoulders instead of leaving them in God’s capable hands.

But we don’t have to continue this crazy game of backsies. We can stop taking our cares back from God and receive the relief He promises.

How?

This verse from 1 Peter offers three easy steps to receiving the benefit of being Protected Under a Mighty Hand. So, let’s dive in…

The first step is, to humble ourselves.

Humility goes against everything society believes. They tell us we don’t need anyone; we can do it on our own. They teach us to have a can-do attitude and that our own power will get us where we need to go. They say humility is a bad thing. It will make us weak in other people’s eyes and it will put us lower on the totem pole.

But God doesn’t ask us to humble ourselves to make us feel weak or small. He knows that true wisdom comes from humility.

We are frail and flawed by God’s design. We are created to need Him!

And the only way for us to see the protection of His mighty hand is to humble ourselves and kneel before Him. It’s an act of total surrender and dependence on God. Instead of taking care of ourselves like the world tells us to, we put our lives, our worries, all of it, completely in God’s care. And once we are on our knees, we’ll be in the perfect place to crawl under His mighty hand.

The next step, casting our cares upon Him, is not something we do once, and it’s done. It’s a continual process of taking our burdens to God each day and seeking His wise and generous counsel in every problem we face.

God cares for us! He is concerned about every aspect of our lives. We are important to Him. And no matter how long our list of worries becomes, God’s mighty hand is big enough to hold them all! That’s amazing!

So, take your cares to God and receive His wisdom, mercy, and protection.

And the last step is to wait for Him to exalt us in due time.

God doesn’t leave us to face our burdens alone. His hand shows us great compassion through hardship and grief. It delivers us from the troubles and worries that threaten to overtake us. And God’s hand lifts us up and exalts us in His perfect time.

Under the mighty hand of God… that’s a wonderful place to be. Protected by the most powerful hand in the universe. Comforted and cared for by God’s grace. Carried through the burdens of life.

That’s where I want to be. How about you?

Are you ready to be protected under God’s mighty hand? Are you willing to humble yourself before Almighty God? Will you take your cares to Him and be exalted in due time? I pray that you will… because Protected Under a Mighty Hand is the best place to be!

Connie Rowland is the artist behind Master’s Hand Collection. Her art represents God’s hand in our lives by featuring American Sign Language. Each piece is lovingly created to encourage you in your walk with Jesus and to spread the gospel to those who don’t know Him yet.

Want to know more about God’s Hand? Claim your FREE copy of her newest devotional 7 Simple Ways to See God’s Hand in Your Life. And you can use the same link to view and purchase Connie’s inspiring artwork.