"And God?"

“And God? Compassionate! Forgave the sin! Didn’t destroy!” Psalm 78:38 MSG

Being a foster mama has given me a front row seat to the reality of this World’s brokenness.  The stories we have heard and the families we have encountered brought so much anger and fear in the beginning.  Then, slowly but surely, the Lord started to show me how my story isn’t so different from theirs.  Compassion for the littles in care came easy, but now my heart is breaking for their families. 

Families should be safe and full and whole, but I’m standing face to face with the reality that this isn’t always the case.  Why is God calling me here? Why is He asking me to love in THIS…not to fix but to LOVE the broken?   Broken people who have allowed children to be forgotten, unwanted, unloved…

Maybe it’s because LOVE is who God is. In Psalm 78, God loves His people, but “…In spite of all this, they still sinned; despite his wonders, they did not believe.” V.32  They were broken, they couldn’t get it together….just like these families...just like me.

“And God? Compassionate! Forgave the sin! Didn’t destroy!” Psalm 78:38 MSG

And, He didn’t stop there….He sent us a savior...right in the middle of our mess. He LOVES the unlovable, He LOVES us fully even while we are broken.  The more I see the grief and pain of these families, the more I understand our World’s need for a savior.  The greater the pain, the greater the cross.

In this painting, the darkness above and below represents the weight of both our brokenness and the cross.  It’s a heaviness that can only be stopped by love.  God’s love for us.  The bold reds and deep yellow ochres are God fighting for us. He fights for us, knowing we are going to doubt him, hurt others (even little children), hurt ourselves.  He loves us in our brokenness, and I feel Him calling me to do that same, LOVE the broken: these children, these families, my husband, my neighbors, myself (let’s be honest – that’s the hardest part sometimes).  Who is He calling you to LOVE in their brokenness?  Who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to invite?

Original canvas and prints are now available!