Surrounded by symbolisms
Dearly Beeloveds,
My Mamma has always been a talented artist. I used to watch her sketch the frames of people and faces seemingly effortlessly, wondering at her ability to draw so well, and wishing I could somehow tap into her skill and ability. I remember spending more than a few hours as a little girl trying to copy what she did and feeling that no matter how hard I tried, I could not measure up. Although I have always loved being creative and have received more than enough encouragement (and unfortunately, unsuccessful training in the fine arts department!) from my mother, I never felt that what I had to offer was quite good enough.
It was only after I met and truly fell in love with the Lord that I could begin the long journey of letting go of the idea of being perfect before attempting to do something meaningful. My Father took great care in teaching me that He gives more than enough space for us not only to create, but to become an authentic original, and that learning to simply be who He made us to be delights Him more than we could ever completely comprehend in this lifetime.
I remember vividly one night, in a season where I was seeking God with a truly hungry heart, receiving a precious download from the Lord through the Holy Spirit. For a moment, I was allowed to feel and understand the Fathers heart for me. I can explain what I felt in that brief encounter no better than to voice the first thought that came to me:
“I have found what I have been looking for all my life!”
In that moment I felt pure and complete love and acceptance, a feeling of belonging, satisfaction and contentment that is not easy to explain in an earthly language. Finding purpose and contentment in Who He made me to be, rather than striving towards something that for so long illusively remained out of my reach brought me to an unexpected place of complete and blissful rest, and a deep sense of peace. This state of being and belonging is so uncommon in our society today, but it is the essence of that which so many people are scurrying aimlessly for, sadly searching in all the wrong places.
I was freed from my continual striving- to be more, do more, have more.
I had been spending my entire life with a deep nagging feeling that somehow something or someone important was missing. Now, I could start the journey of finding my true fulfilment in the heart of my Father.
A journey of symbols
From time immemorial, long before the symbolism arts movement started in the late 19th century in France, Father God was habitually using symbolisms in His Word. The Bible is arguably one of, and probably the richest book of symbolisms available to us today. Starting in the very first book of Genesis, with a story about light and darkness, mythical talking snakes and trees with fruit which had the ability to give life or cause death, to the last book of Revelation, where there is a culmination of dramatic symbolisms about coloured horses, rulers and followers, a catastrophic war in the heavenlies and a Saviour King making His appearance on the clouds, the Bible could compete with the most bizarre and eccentric Hollywood films of our day. If we allow ourselves to become free of our religious mindsets, which has reduced the Bible to a boring book containing a mere list of rules, it is truly one of the most fascinating and incredible books of our time.
We have become accustomed to many of the amazing symbolisms which had its origin in the Bible, and they have become so familiar to us that we rarely consider the true intent and beauty of the Word.
Consider the rainbow. A larger-than-life portrait painted on the Master Artist’s sky-canvas, declaring boldly His goodness and an amazing promise of grace made to mankind, we seldom even pause for a moment in our busy lives to stop and contemplate the true wonder and beauty of what our Father is painting in full view of us. A celestial love letter to His creation- a reminder of new beginnings, and a sign that an infinitely powerful God would take the time to consider us, reach out to us, and commune with us.
Symbolism is a familiar concept in the world we live in, where every brand name seeks to have a recognizable symbol often portraying a hidden meaning in its name or trademark.
Receiving and listening to the signs and impressions that the Holy Spirits gives us today, however, is sadly a much less familiar topic to most.
God is not a distant entity who made a world full of random objects with no particular purpose, waiting to see how these things would co-exist and perform in each other’s company. Neither is the world we live in a random collection of events and interactions, as evolution would like us to believe.
Isaiah 45:18-19
For the Lord is God, and He created the heavens and the earth and put everything in place. He made the world to be lived in, not to be a place of empty chaos. “I am the Lord,” He says, “and there is no other. 19 I publicly proclaim bold promises. I do not whisper obscurities in some dark corner. I would not have told the people of Israel to seek me if I could not be found.”
God created the world and everything in it for our enjoyment. He also intended for His creation to be a means of connecting and having fellowship with us, His Beloved. Creation is a means of revealing His heart, and sometimes His pleasure or displeasure, with the events that are transpiring on the earth.
God’s world was carefully designed to work in a complete harmony. The rhythm that we see in an ecosystem, untouched by human interference, is His blueprint for us as humanity too. But it starts with having the right foundation. Trying to disprove that God is the Master hand behind His creation is the wrong place to start- in fact, it causes all other relations within His perfect design to be continually frustrated.
If we could truly understand and work in harmony with our Creator, listening and submitting to His wisdom and direction, our world would not be in its current state of disharmony and chaos. But our hearts need to be open to trust, our ears to hear and our eyes to see!
Jesus frequently spoke in parables, or symbolisms, in the New Testament-stating that the ability to interpret the messages He commonly used to convey important lessons to His followers was an attribute which was not given to all people, but only those with an open heart to understand.
Luke 8: 10 AMP
He said to them, To you it has been given to (come progressively to) know (to recognise and understand more strongly and clearly) the mysteries and secrets of the kingdom of God, but for others they are in parables, so that, (though) looking, they may not see, and hearing, they may not comprehend.]
I am not a perfectionist and have far less natural talent than my mother or sister for fine arts, but I have come to appreciate my own expressions of originality. I am content knowing that I am able to create something beautiful and of value to my Father. God does not look at our attempts at creativity with a critical eye, like many of our earthly Fathers do. He delights in what truly comes from the heart. The human race has become very skilful at hiding the true motives and feelings of the heart, but nothing is hidden from the one who created it. When we allow ourselves to be creative, the hidden messages of our heart often become visible. We are all made in the image of our Father. He was the very first artist when He skilfully spoke over the earth and created all in it in its magnificent glory. He delights in beauty, in the sounds, feels and smells of His creation. And so should we!
I consider Beeloved to be an artwork expressive of the treasure chest that the Holy Spirit has laid up in our hearts through the many winding paths of our life journey. I experience the same level of elation when constructing a new balm or combination of products that a skilful artist would when creating a masterpiece. It gives me immense pleasure.
The symbols I have used in the Beeloved range are personally special to me and have meanings that are very dear to my heart. As I expand more about the products I have made, I will be sharing about some of the precious spiritual symbolisms that the Holy Spirit has revealed to me along the way.
I would like to honour my Sister, Nadja, for being a vessel, allowing the Holy Spirit to use her to fashion the artworks for our Beeloved products with a skilled hand. There is a connection with family that runs very deep- as the Afrikaans saying goes- “Bloed is dikker as water.” She understands me and the heart behind Beeloved like no other friend can.
My earthly family, who I love and treasure boundlessly, has now grown to a network of remarkable hand-picked spiritual family members that has made Beeloved something truly precious, and cherished, from the Fathers’ hand.
We love and appreciate every one of these special people and the unique contributions that they have made to Beeloved more than words can say.
But how their stories are entwined in our story is a story for another time…