My thoughts keep wandering to my family. Being a mother doesn't stop when our children become adults.
Encircled — Keeping God at the Center
GOOD MORNING TO YOU!!! ☀️❤️🎨
I have not slept well the past two nights. I seem to fall asleep around 8:00 or 8:30, only to wake up at 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning, wide awake. Usually, a little music or a rather boring audiobook will help me drift back to sleep. Not this time!
My thoughts keep wandering to my family. Being a mother doesn't stop when our children become adults. We still worry about the paths they are walking, the decisions they make, and, of course, those wonderful grandchildren we love so dearly.
This morning, Terry reminded me of something he has been telling me since we were young, long before we married.
He made a circle with his fingers and said:
"God is in the middle, and you and me are inside this circle with Him. We can pray about the children and grandchildren, but our immediate concern is God and taking care of each other."
Such simple words. And such an important reminder.
Later, while looking through my painting files, I came across Encircled, a painting I created in 2019 for a collector in Austin, Texas.
I smiled.
There were those horses, all moving in different directions, each with its own energy and purpose. And suddenly I could see the very picture Terry had drawn for me that morning.
We cannot spend our lives running around the pasture, trying to follow every horse, manage every direction, or solve every problem.
We can love our family. We can pray for them. We can be there when we are needed.
But we must remember where our own feet belong.
Inside that circle, with God at the center.
Perhaps that is what I needed to hear this morning. Not another solution to another problem, but a reminder of where to place my trust.
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." — Proverbs 3:5
And speaking of new beginnings, my website is still making its move to a new platform! I am excited about what is coming and look forward to sharing it with you soon.
Until then, you can continue finding my stories and paintings right here.
Encircled — Original oil painting, 36 × 60 inches, 2019. Commissioned for a private collector in Austin, Texas.
From my heart and my easel,
Laurie Pace | Elle Pace
The Spirit of the Paint
Search description: Encircled, an original horse painting by Laurie Pace (Elle Pace), inspires a reflection on family, worry, marriage, prayer, and keeping God at the center.
Labels: Laurie Pace, Elle Pace, Encircled, Threads of Grace, Christian Inspiration, Equine Art, Horse Painting, The Spirit of the Paint
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