08/12/2026
Alright…new painting! Mine come so organically..sometimes hard to put words too (I guess that’s why I paint lol).
This shell..it’s pretty. I love shells but there is a little story to go with it and something hidden:
This week my oldest turns 21 and my youngest goes off to college. I’ve been Reflecting…(that’s an understatement 🥴😭). When Weston was born I had this strong feeling of “how am I supposed to protect this kid? He is too valuable for me to protect!” I quickly found out it is absolutely impossible to 100% protect them. I do believe God designed it that way so we would have to rely on Him. So through the years God showed me: “As a parents you prepare them…and I (God) will protect them” and he actually does a much better job then we ever could! 😑Also, “do not make decisions based on fear”. He has shown me over and over to trust Him. Example: This summer we went on a family trip and Kevin and Weston went snorkeling..long story short they got caught up in some mighty large Hawaiian wave…and when I went to shore to see about them..I saw a 7ft 700 lb Hawaiian monk seal looking me in the face in the big wave with them…then all of the sudden Weston and Kevin were on shore. Hmmmm. Monk seals are endangered and not seen often (a native told me it took her 20 years before she spotted one). We saw one that day but not again on this trip. Seals are also known for “putting things” (or people) back in their environments. I am most certainly convinced that God used a monk seal (on purpose) to push them to shore to show me….”I told you I would protect”and to give me an on going solid example of what it means to trust Him. He is what we need Him to be…and I needed a protector that day and didn’t even know it! 🦭 Study this shell closely: you I can see the Monk Seal hidden in a beautiful shell. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” Is. 43:2. Live life to the fullest: don’t let fear stop you from living! Allow the Lord to do the protecting..because he will and I know sometimes it feels like He is far (or things don’t go our way) but there is purpose in it all: Jesus. In the end that’s all there really is. Without Him everything is meaningless.
Thank you, Lord for always being what we need when we need it. Thank you, that we can trust you completely. Thank you for creating a purpose in us all and that is to seek you..and you in turn give us YOUR kingdom full of benefits but most importantly you give us YOU! (And Lord continue to keep your hand on these kids as they leave me 😭😭🤣🤣)
Prints available: https://www.hopegsmith.com/shop/art/IA299
