Hi and welcome back to the Chrissie Murphy Designs Blog. Every time I’ve blogged this year it’s been to explain away my online absense! I know…. I’m sorry I’ve been so absent, but I think I finally understand why…. and no, it’s not because of Covid. Now that we’re nearing the end of the year, I feel like I can see more clearly. All of a sudden, this big obvious lump of “that’s why!” has hit me in the face…. it explains everything. So today, I thought I’d do my best to try and share about it.
Nearing the end I can see my focus word has defined my year
In January I wrote about my focus word for the year. If you never read the post, there’s a link here so you can read it. I shared that my focus word for 2020 was “Refine”.
My focus this year was going to be on refining. I would work to refine what I could and allow myself to be refined by the Lord everywhere else.
Well I feel like the Lord has had His way!
This year has made me re-examine my priorities. The things that I thought were important, in the light of Covid and everything else, suddenly didn’t seem as important any more.
Pursuits I was excited about, things I planned to do and study, programs I wanted to participate in, all seemed to fall by the wayside as my priorities shifted in 2020.
The priority to draw wasn’t as high as the priority to nurture. The priority to relax wasn’t as high as the priority to serve. The priority to write wasn’t as high as the priority to read.
I’ve been being refined
Undoubtedly, I have been being refined in 2020. My priorities were so focused on what I wanted to achieve, they left little room for others, including my family. Now my priorities have changed and my family has become my priority, where it should have been all along.
I’ve lost people I love this year. I’ve been awakened to areas of my life I was asleep at the wheel in. And I’ve been shown that there’s no excuse for complacency. Nearing the end of the year I can clearly see I’ve been being refined….. it’s as plain as the nose on my face!
The end result of all of this is less of an online presence. I’ve still been drawing, just not as much. I’m thinking that perhaps this prophetic piece I created for someone else, speaks of what’s been happening to me.
My perspective has changed
It’s a pretty amazing thing to have your perspective turned upside down. At the start of the year I was so focused on achieving things with my art, now at the end of the year I’m focused on achieving things for my family.
My perspective has totally changed and I believe the refining process does that. When you refine silver, you have to free it from lead by heating it in a furnace. A slag develops, referred to as “dross” and the silver rises to the surface of it. The silver can then be gathered from the surface of the dross.
You don’t get to the precious stuff, without putting it through a fire.
You don’t get to the precious stuff, without putting it through a fire. 2020 has been a slow burn, a testing fire for much of the world. I think we can thank Covid for that, but I’m grateful for the testing fire. God has used it to change my perspective and alter my priorities. He’s brought forth silver! And I believe it’s been for my good.
So what now…
I’m thinking that when I do draw and create, I will do a quick blog post that shares some insider and work in progress pics. But sticking to any kind of schedule for it, just isn’t one of my priorities. I apologise to anyone who might be upset by this.
I’ve been reading this week, that when you say yes to something, you’re saying no to something else.
Well, I’m saying yes to family and no to online pursuits. Solomon speaks in Ecclesiastes about times and seasons. He says it like this;
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT
Nearing the end of 2020, I can tell you the seasons have changed, my family is my priority. That’s what’s now, that’s what I’m saying yes to.
You’ll see this expressed in what I blog about and in what I create. As priorities change, so does your expression.
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Until next time, listen to your heart and sharpen your coloured pencils. A masterpiece awaits!
Bless you my friend
Chrissie xx
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