Not waiting on the world to change...

I am participating in two Art Journal challenges for the year. One is to just do something in my Art Journal every day. Every day of the year! This inspiration is from Balzer Designs Art Journal Every Day I don't always do a complete page every day. Sometimes it's just prepping a background or adding to another page or journaling...very low stress.

The other Art Journal challenge I am participating in is from A Year in the Life of an Art Journal. In this one, there are prompts posted every 15th and 30th of the month. The prompt for this one was:

THE PROMPT: Starting NOW

THE SONG: Waiting on the World to Change by John Mayer (the player is to your right in the sidebar if you'd like to take a listen.)

Written Lyrics HERE.

PRODUCT/TECHNIQUE: Foot Photo

This page was a background that I had already prepped for my "Art Journal Every Day" It was a process of Gesso, masking tape, drippage and some journaling. I then painted another glaze over the journaling and wrote a bit of journaling directly onto the background and then added the "foot" from a magazine and used my white Uniball to write it. The green "mesh" was from a bag of tomatillos that I added (cool texture) with Mod Podge. I used my heat gun to dry it and I SWOONED when I saw that it kind of melted, kind of shrunk onto the page. Yeah, it doesn't take much to make me happy. =)

I don't think that we ought to "Wait on the world to change..." If you want good things in your life, then you need to plant good things now. I may not be able to help everyone in this world, but I can give a smile to the person I pass on the street or share a kind word with someone that is hurting.

Our church has a theme each year that we use to help us stay focused. This year's theme is from James 2:8. Love Thy Neighbor. I was so glad when my husband told me that he chose that as the theme. That's what will change this world. We need to stop judging. We need to start accepting. I'm not talking about agreeing with everything a person does or believes, but we believe that God loves everybody and wants us to do the same. I'm so tired of people that taint the name of Christ because their actions do not match their words. I have been dealing with some Christians that have been so wounded by other so called "Christians". It's just so sad.

Some people believe in karma, but I believe in the Scripture were it says in Galatians 6: 7 - 9 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.
And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

So, put out negative - receive negative. Put out positive - receive positive. Sow obedience and reap blessings. Those that do things out of greed or evil - it leads to corruption.

Very clear, I think. Then the last part tells us that we are not to tire of doing what's right. God knows it's not easy.

Have you ever heard the saying "No good deed goes unpunished?" People are funny. Often, they will figure out how to turn something you've done good for them right around on you and then use it against you. WOW. You just have to shake your head, learn from it and move on. You don't stop doing good things. You keep going. You keep giving. In due season - it'll come back to you in a good way. I love that. Do it NOW and Change the World around you.