Alicia's Blog

Have you ever heard this story?

“A religious man is on top of a roof during a great flood. A man comes by in a boat and says “get in, get in!” The religous man replies, ” no I have faith in God, he will grant me a miracle.”

Later the water is up to his waist and another boat comes by and the guy tells him to get in again. He responds that he has faith in God and God will give him a miracle. With the water at about chest high, another boat comes to rescue him, but he turns down the offer again cause “God will grant him a miracle.”

With the water at chin high, a helicopter throws down a ladder and they tell him to get in. Mumbling with the water in his mouth, he again turns down the request for help for the faith of God. He arrives at the gates of heaven with broken faith and says to Peter, “I thought God would grant me a miracle and I have been let down.” St. Peter chuckles and responds, “I don’t know what you’re complaining about, we sent you three boats and a helicopter.”

We laugh at this, but it points to a truth… sometimes we don’t recognize God’s answer to our prayer because it doesn’t come the way that we expect or look like we expect it to look. The fact of the matter is that “His ways are not our ways.” When I reflect on the story of Peter walking on water, I think of the irony that in the midst of being afraid of the wind and waves, Peter poses that he get out of the safety of the boat and walk on the water.

Maybe it’s just me, but if I’m afraid of the wind and waves, outside of the boat would seem like the last place I’d want to be. Maybe I think that God will send the Coast Guard to rescue me, or that somehow I will find a way to plug the hole and bail out the water. Whatever the thought process is, I make the choice to stay in a boat that is waterlogged and sinking, because I judge it to be a safer and more logical choice than abandoning ship. For me, maybe it is easier to trust God for a rescue boat, or to trust in my own ability to bail out the water than it is to completely relinquish my control and to trust in Him. And yet, there are times when Jesus asks us to leave the seemingly safe refuge of the boat, and step out onto the water, putting our faith in Him. He’s not going to enable us to fix the boat, and he’s not going to send a rescue; he wants us to trust him, get out of the boat and walk. If I decide to stay in the boat, I’m no different than the man who refuses help and eventually drowns.

I don’t know about you, but against all logic, and my desire to be in control, I’m choosing to get out of the boat and walk. I’ll let you know what happened when I get to shore …

Everyone in business is talking about customer service, and more specifically, how to provide good customer service. In the online version of Webster’s dictionary (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/service), two interesting definitions of service are “a helpful act” and “contribution to the welfare of others.” By either definition, a professional application is not required, and in fact, a customer could be anyone who receives service from another individual without the payment necessarily having to be monetary.

Therefore, are not my kids and my husband my “customers,” and ought I not provide them good customer service? What about my neighbor, my boss and my coworkers? Keeping this in mind, our goal should be to provide good customer service on a routine basis. Isn’t that what treating others as we’d like to be treated is all about? Good customer service is a life skill that should be practiced every day whether one is in business or not, and if we develop this habit, we’ll be able to apply it in any situation including business.

Saying that patience is a virtue is almost like saying that it’s nice to have, but one can take it or leave it. On the contrary, patience is not just a virtue, it’s a necessity. Unfortunately, in a fast-paced society like the one we live in, we can often lose sight of the importance of patience.

Many years ago, I distinctly remember praying to God to give me more patience. What I received as my answer was a bit of a two-edged sword. I began to find myself in numerous situations where I was required to wait, or to not lose my cool, or to not give up; it was like I had no choice. As frustrating and exasperating as many of these situations were, I slowly realized that my patience was being increased, much like the length of a rubber band is increased when it is stretched then released. Before I knew it, I found myself being able to have more patience when waiting in line, when people pushed my buttons beyond what I thought I could bear, and most importantly, when things didn’t happen as quickly as I’d hoped or planned.

In the latter case, I can’t emphasize how necessary it is to be patient. Without patience when waiting on the manifestation of our dreams, it’s easy to give up before we’ve received the prize of reaching our goals. No one plants a seed and then expects to see a flower or tree the next day. The majority of our technology-driven generation have lost sight of the fact that many things simply take time.

Just like many years passed before Joseph’s dreams came true, I’m just now beginning to see signs of dreams I was given years (maybe even decades) ago come to pass. I still haven’t achieved everything I dream of for this lifetime, but I’ve  come a long way from where I started. Most importantly, I’ve learned to wait patiently and not lose hope. The biggest difference in how I wait now versus then is that now I don’t have the anxiety and worry that I used to because I know that with time, every thing is going to work out… even if the outcome looks a little different than what I’d imagined. Actually, often times the outcome is even better.

Recently I was watching a series of specials on jazz legends. What was interesting to me was how I was able to listen and distinguish between the sound of different musicians such as Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gilespie and Miles Davis even though they all played the same instrument (trumpet). Each one had their own way of holding the instrument and their own style of playing. As a result, each produced their own unique sound.

It’s very much the same with artists. Just like musicians play different instruments, artists use different media, such as paint, clay, etc. to make their “music”. As artists use specific media, they also develop a style that is distinct because of the way they hold and manipulate the media and their specific way of seeing things.

In His awesome wonder and glory, God created no two people exactly the same, and no two people see the world exactly the same way. As an artist, my method of observing the world around me and then interpreting what I see greatly contributes to my style of painting. Although someone can imitate another artist, they can never truly duplicate that artist’s work. I no longer compare my work to other artists’ as a determining factor for whether it’s good or not, because I think, “What would have happened if Picasso had compared himself to Michaelangelo? He might never have painted again!”

I have my own unique artistic voice that evolves along with me. My only limitations are the ones I place on myself — so the sky IS my limit!

Welcome to my new website and new blog! I’m really excited to be launching out once and for all in all of the creative areas in my life that for so long have been disconnected and  fractured. For example, I would create stationery, then do nothing for months or even years. I would design graphics for people and then have seasons of creative drought and frustration that would bring me misery. And as far as the artwork is concerned, I only recently discovered how much pure joy and satisfaction painting brings me. It’s beyond words.

I’m happy to say that it finally feels like all the pieces are coming together. I truly believe that God’s anointing is on this new venture, as His peace and joy are certainly with me. And this time, I’m not straying and I’m not turning back. Join me on my journey.  Alicia