I don't mean this to be a religious post but the above painting was inspired by one of the Bible verses I read this morning.
This morning I was reading chapter 5 from the Book of Esther and one of the cross-references brought me to this verse:
Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many. ~ Hebrews 12: 14-15 NLT
There are two things in this verse that convicted me:
- Work at living in peace with everyone
- Watch out that no poisonous root of bitterness grows up to trouble you, corrupting many.
Even if you are not a Christian I think this message is applicable to everyone regardless of who they are. Let me tell you why.
Live in peace with everyone
I don't like conflicts. I am sure many people also feels the same. But it is impossible to run away from conflicts. As long as there are relationships in our lives we are bound to face conflicts within these relationships. That is a normal part of being human. The thing is it becomes a problem when we don't actively pursue a solution to maintain peace and reconciliation. That's why we have wars and broken relationships.
I don't mean we should ignore the bad things someone did to us. If you are being abused by someone, go get help. And it doesn't mean you are to continue living with that abuser and endure his abuse.
Live in peace with everyone basically means if you are having issues with someone, find a solution to solve it. Try your best to maintain peace by respecting the other person's opinions or stand. However, if after doing your best to solve the issues between the two of you and you still can't find a solution, then perhaps you should agree to disagree. Let go of your dissatisfaction and don't go on thinking about it on and on like a dog with a bone. Forgive each other and move on.
Don't let bitterness grow in your heart
The second point is just the continuation of the first one. If you keep holding on to your dissatisfaction towards the other person, you are nurturing bitterness in your heart. I think this is a very dangerous thing. Bitterness will harm you emotionally and physically. You will feel very unhappy and the heavy feeling in your heart will drag you into depression. I don't write this to preach to anyone. I am writing this because I have experienced this first hand. When I nurture a grudge/bitterness against someone, I am deeply unhappy and I feel like I am imprisoned by my negative feelings. There is no joy and meaning in life because this grudge overshadows every single aspect of my life. And it also affects my relationships with other people. I will tend to complain and gossip about that person to other people and spreading negativity like wildfire. Friends and family members will avoid me because they just can't deal with my negativity. Who loves to be around a complainer? I don't. I am sure you don't too. So do yourself a favor. Try to forgive. Accept the fact that you can't do anything to control someone's action so let them be and move on with your own life. Living in bitterness is not worth it. It destroys you and your relationships with other people.
The painting
This is a stencil on watercolor painting. I drew a stencil of a flying dove because doves are often used as a symbol of peace. The background is made by spraying the green and yellow watercolors on paper and tilting the paper to achieve the effect I desired.
Here are the progress photos:
Thank you for visiting! What do you think of this post? Leave your comments below.
My previous posts:
Announcing My Weekly Doodle Contest Week #1 | Flowers & Plants | SBD6 For The Winner!
My Sketchbook | Dancing Like The Spider & I Am Cool!
New Glasses, Folder And Sketchbook - All PAID By Steemit!
Doodle Tutorial For Complete Beginners
Two-Hour Parenting Class For Those In Klang Valley
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My avatar was illustrated by @pinstory
