Results of a rainy day

Today is Friday.  It has POURED with rain virtually all day long, and roads are flooding all over the coast.  Amidst this I had just nine people visit the exhibition – and 4 large paintings sold!

Let’s talk about the results of a rainy day…

Against all odds, visitors struggled in with their sopping umbrellas.  Road closures were obviously a deterrent, yet hadn’t proved crippling or debilitating.  Fussy phonecalls from my darling husband informed me that the road into Palmwoods was underwater – as is usual with this volume of water – and so it was likely that the road under the bridge in Eudlo would also go under.  The worse-case scenario would mean I’d be unable to get home, and be forced to spend the night at the Arts & Ecology centre on the polished concrete floor, or in the back of my car.  I decided to stay, and hold my Grant-funded fort, for which the good citizens had contributed their hard-earned portion.

On my way home, it seemed like a river was flowing through Eudlo – but the Palmwoods drain had been unblocked and the road was wide open.

Earlier in the week, I’d experienced a rainy day or two in my heart, where rising water of discouragement threatened to overwhelm.  Manning an art exhibition in an unconditioned venue during a spell of almost 40 degrees was… unpleasant.  An opening event where only few braved the swelter was… disheartening.  Pondering all the time and effort that I had invested into an exhibition where my patrons sipped their fruit punch sweating profusely beneath the two fans in the room was… not funny.  A steady stream of viewers but a scarcity of serious purchasers was… exasperating – because art HAS TO find its way into the world.  The fact that I’d been paid to create the work was little consolation.  Discouragement drove me to all sorts of questions and uncertainty – so I preached to myself to take heart, and stand strong, and wait with hope.

Then the rains came – washing away all the sweltering heat, and carrying in the purchasers and encouragers with the rising waters!  Who would’ve thought?

Who would’ve thought that the outcomes of a rainy day would EXCEED the breaking of a heatwave AND great painting sales – because at the end of the day there were hearts and lives touched to tears, salvation and hope shared, and my mouth was filled with amazement and awe at what can happen in an instant when the tide turns!

An artist has to remain focused on the goal – mine is Jesus, and bringing people to Him by touching their hearts and lives, and whispering encouragement, and possibly using painting and writing to do so.  Focus on the goal means exactly that – eyes upwards and focused, not looking around at the wind and down at the waves.  In faith, we may then be invited to walk on water.  And when we do, we find that the way is wide open, all the dross cleared away, and clear vision beckons we move forward.