It is well with my soul.
By María Rangel Cardenas
Happy New Year!
I am so happy to share that I have begun a new pencil drawing called “The Blessed Mother and Child”.
The process so far:
(You can see how I like to start with loose strokes and gradually work on the details as the drawing progresses. Along with graphite pencils, I am also using a blending stump—seen in the middle image—to lightly smudge and smooth the pencil strokes.)
This drawing is especially meaningful to me because the photo reference I am using is of myself holding our second oldest son (who will be 13 this year!), when he was just about 1 or 2 months old. The original photo was taken during one of our early morning sessions, when I was soothing him back to sleep.
This drawing may seem a little late for Christmas, but maybe it isn’t. This quiet time between Christmas and Lent/Easter (called "Ordinary Time" in the Catholic Church) is the perfect time to think about how we are called to imitate Mary and to hold Jesus in our hearts in silence and wonder.
And if you are counting the days since Christmas, this drawing shows the Infant Redeemer at just about the right age right now, about a month old.
Feeling Like I Am Behind
These last few months, my free-time for art has taken a backseat to my other responsibilities as a wife and a homeschooling mother, dealing with family colds, and experiencing the holidays. Also, recently, I somehow became a volunteer cantor for the Sunday Mass we attend—a humbling and richly blessed job, to be sure.
With so many things going on, it is easy for me to feel overwhelmed, wondering "When will I find the time to draw or paint?" After all, isn't this what God wants me to do?
I have spent much time in prayer asking God what I am supposed to do when my desire to paint does not correspond with my duties or my free time.
And here is the answer I received:
If I concern myself with God’s work, I will need to trust that he will give me the means, the ability, and the time to accomplish it.
And so I have learned to reframe my expectations concerning my art. I try not to worry about planning to finish a certain number of paintings or drawings in a month or year. Now, I ask God what he would like me to do, since it is all for his glory, anyway. And then, I can work with confidence that whatever time I can spend on my art is what God wants me to do. And so, I am grateful and accept the gift of time I am given to glorify God in my work.
Loss and Trust
Even though the holidays are usually a time of joy, they can also be a difficult time for those experiencing loss. Death and suffering are a stark contrast to the joy-filled image of the birth of the Infant. But Christ became man to conquer death. So, in the face of the small Infant we see our Redeemer and the hope for our suffering hearts.
We have not been abandoned. It is when we are the most vulnerable, that he draws us close and tenderly ministers to our hearts, as the Blessed Mother cradles the Christ Child.
I have a song to share with you about trust in God that has touched my heart.
This song is based on the old hymn "It Is Well with My Soul" that was composed by Horatio Spafford, a man from Chicago who faced multiple tragedies: losing his fortune in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and then, a couple of years later, his four daughters died in a shipwreck in the Atlantic. He wrote the lyrics to this hymn when he passed the area where his children died, while traveling to meet his grieving wife. Even when confronted with this profound loss, he found peace in his faith in God and declared: "Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, 'It is well, it is well with my soul."
In this newer version of the hymn, Kristene DiMarco added new verses and a bridge to the original hymn, writing "So let go my soul and trust in Him," referencing Psalm 23:1-2, "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want."
I hope these songs will comfort your heart as they did mine.
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