Gye Nyame!

Shot on 8th January, 2019: I keep falling in love with this piece every time I see it and I remember my delight I felt whilst I drew it because of how it took shape with each stroke of my pens. 

When we pray... I not only love this piece because of my memory of my pleasure in bringing it to life or my excitement in how God and I got the blue and red - two of my favourite colours - to pop and balance so beautifully to me in the picture. Or even how some elements like the wall-hanging and Bible resonate with the sweet nostalgia of my childhood. Or the wine glass that reminds me of my affection towards communion as a Christian. Or the posture in prayer, legs crossed, palm in hand, peace but earnestness in telling our Father what is on our hearts. Or the compressed seat of the sofa and the resemblance of the entire sofa to one we had where we lived at the time. The nostalgia and hope this picture brings me of past, present and future milestones in my life and how God was, is and will always be there, be in control, be ready to listen to me, His child... to us, His children.

Not only these, I love this piece because it calls me each and every time to a life of surrender, of faith, of hope and of full dependence on God. A life not only continually rewarded with the awareness of answered prayer but even more so the joy of continual communion with the God of Heaven, the great God of all, our Saviour, our Father, our Friend. 

Gye Nyame! “Except God!” “But for God!” “By God alone!” An Akan statement that is popularly known by its Adinkra symbol in the wall hanging. Gye Nyame! A personal cry to my God that I am nothing without, I am everything with, and all I can ever do to His glory is in: Him. Gye Nyame!

When we pray...

#EnosuasHeArt #FirstSketches 

https://www.instagram.com/enosuasheart

Monday, 2nd November, 2020

Tell someone how God redeemed you

 

I’ll start with one of mine and hope you would join me in telling someone how the Lord has redeemed us from an “enemy”.

In 2016, I travelled for work to a different country. At some point prior to that I remember being upset that my trip had “delayed badly”. A few months into my trip, I paid a visit to the doctors for painkillers. A random but very simple test was prescribed then, which ended in a harmless trip to a specialist - because the pharmacies close by had stopped running such tests. 

At the specialist, both the doctor and I abruptly discovered I needed surgery. A week later, I was under the knife. The surgery went well but being miles away from family on a work trip in a different country with “tough” visas, I still had to live on my own for my initial recovery before I was fit to travel again. 

My surgery, though completely random (remember a random test got me to see the specialist), was definitely perfectly timed by God. “How?” you may say... I’ll tell you in a just a bit...

So... A local and friend of a friend moved in with me and literally took care of me during those very early days (God bless you, my Angel!!). A neighbour who had had a similar surgery before became the wise big sister I could not have ever imagined I so needed with her massive experience, her own mistakes whilst healing, her friendship, her advice (God bless you, our Happiness!!). I discovered my big little brother in so so many ways - a colleague who had also travelled to the same country for work after I arrived - who visited me almost everyday (God bless you, Me Nua!!). And there was a colleague I barely knew before, who was briefly visiting with her daughter for Christmas, but now stayed with me for the Yuletide, because prior to even knowing I needed surgery, I had agreed with a senior colleague to host her for the holidays instead due to a last minute change of plans in my senior colleague’s holiday schedule. My guest literally became my conscience when I had gained enough strong enough to be absolutely reckless with my recovery (God bless you, mah police!!!) And not forgetting all the friends who became family during that drastic change in my life... my Kenyan blood, my Nigerian clan, my UGL tribe, my SA siblings, a kind boss and team and a church family that loved deeply... God bless you all... it’s been years but I remain so grateful... 

Such perfect timing that met my dire needs perfectly at such a random time... 

And you tell me that the Lord is not good? I can only point to this season of 2016/2017 where the Lord not only redeemed me from a medical condition I had no clue I had (but had managed to plague me in different ways that had never been associated with it) but also redeemed me from harsh loneliness by orchestrating the lives of those around me so my own quality of life in a foreign land after this abrupt surgery would lack no good thing, would be made richer in ways I could never have imagined. 

So today in obedience to Psalm 107:1-2, I give thanks to the Lord for He IS good!! And join those who tell others of how the Lord has redeemed them! Let the redeemed of the Lord say so! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!! Praise the Lord!! 

And you? How has the Lord redeemed you? #Psalm107vs1to2

The Journey - Intro

The journey…

I lost my ability to hold and use a pen a few months ago due to a temporary pain in my wrists. Since then I’ve been contemplating what to share… when I should share… how much I should share. I even asked God but probably didn’t pay attention enough or He was silent for a while.

So eventually, I randomly asked someone, hoping to hear God speak through human lips as He sometimes does. Initially, I wasn’t quite convinced about the idea. But I remembered James 1:5-8, one of my favourite passages, and tonight I surely am.

Thank you, Kyerewaa for your kind words 🥰 and for being that someone that shared your honest thoughts with me. I’m so grateful you did.

So within my current limitation of the inability to write or sketch without pain, and with my current ability to still type and use many electronic devices without aid, I’d be sharing my next series with you: “The Journey….”

12 days of sharing selected sketches that were shot in the 12 months of the year. 12 moments of reflecting on how good God has been to this particular Enosua’s heArt ministry. 12 comparisons that hopefully reveal God’s heart in His provision of progress. 12 blessings counted in the hope of so many more…

I pray you are blessed by them; I’m so sure I would! I pray God speaks to you through them, as His word should.

Looking forward to these 12 days… eagerly… 

#TheJourney…

#AnEnosuasHeArtSeries

#EnosuasHeArt

The Journey — January

Take a moment with me

This was January

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots of The Journey…

The Journey — February

 

In the second month of the year 

Came sketches to us dear

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, selections from The Journey…

The Journey — March

March came along 

With hopeful song 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — April

In April we were enabled 

To live lives as Christian faithfuls 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — May

Slowly came the months of May

Trusting God and all He’d say

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — June

Day 6 of this 12-day series, a day for each month of the year. 

When I begun this series, “The Journey…”, a few weeks ago, I didn’t think for the life of me that I would be viewing all my shots so far. But O has it been a joy doing so!

Some shots that did not make the final pick for its year have still encouraged me in the moment, some even more relevant for me than when I sketched them that month in the year. Others have spoken to situations I know some friends and family were going through recently. Some I felt strongly to share randomly with others, with the faith that our God isn’t just random. Whilst some have just reminded me how far God has brought me considering the different circumstances in which I sketched each picture.

It’s been a refreshing journey — in light of my current circumstance that has prevented me from sketching — to be able to look back and see… See what the Lord has done, see how far we’ve come, see His blessings anew and receive a great deal of hope for the days ahead.

June is my birth month; Day 6 of the Journey for me serves as a reminder of the many milestones I have been privileged to enjoy in spite of my life’s circumstances. I’ve tasted and seen that the Lord is good and look forward to exciting my “palette” with so much more… all He has in store…

I hope somehow you are able to pause too… because truly, in spite of life’s pains, even within life’s hardest moments, we all in truest honesty and reverence to our King can hand-on-heart say, “The Lord has been good to me too”… Taste and see…

In the month of June we pause

Amazed at all He had in store

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

 

The Journey — July

 

July begun with the utmost security

In His Word, His promise with all humility 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

The Journey — August

 

August reminded us of Christian growth

Maturity, suffering, appreciating both 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…

 

The Journey — September

We let ourselves remember once more in September 

God’s rich compassion to us and to others through us 

Each picture from the annals of history

Snapshots in time, moments from The Journey…