Confidence

Last Friday I posted the pencil sketch I did as the beginning of the first lesson of Tammy's Art, Heart and Healing course - the first face I've ever had the joy of drawing and being delighted with. Since then the watercolour crayons have arrived and I have brought my girl to life with colour (again under Tammy's awesome tuition).
As the healing part of this exercise we were to add a text to our drawing as an encouragement to ourselves, to understand the positive message our communication-impoverished inner critics were whispering. I was so pleased with my girl that I was reluctant to sully her with words, to pin her down forever with a single message.
But I chose to complete the exercise and I can't tell you how pleased I am that I did! Providing her with a voice brought her to life. She is not limited by the words I have given her; rather she has taken on an identity of her own and now I can relate to her on her terms and I love her for that.
Here she is, my first masterpiece:

And here, her message magnified:

The encouragement of these words to me is twofold.
Firstly, they encourage me to continue in this new art journey without fearing that things will go wrong. If I have learnt one thing from Tammy's lessons it's that you can layer over anything until you are happy with it so eventually it will turn out right!
The second encouragement is as I apply this message to my life. I am currently struggling with an uncertain future, and am unsure which steps to take. But I believe in a God who cares for me, in an ultimately just universe and in my own convictions to do what is good and right and what, at the end of the day, I must. If these things are true then whatever the journey and the uncertain steps I must take I can be confident that what I do will turn out right.
So whatever lies ahead, in art and life, do not be afraid, but step forward with CONFIDENCE.