IGBOK

I haven't participated is Spiritual Sundays in a while, but have something to share that I haven't heard about before, maybe you have. David Arms - a friend shared this artist and his website with me a few weeks ago. I had never seen his paintings, or heard of him. I want to share his thoughts that I took from his website, I hope he doesn't mind. I really like the acronym IGBOK, it is easy to remember when things aren't going well.

The acronym is for "It's going to be okay."

(From http://davidarms.com/ ) It's gonna be o.k. The universal language of hope. When a child skins a knee or gets their feelings hurt; when the medical tests aren’t good; when our hearts are crushed and disappointment overwhelms; when the money is short and the job is gone; when fear rolls in like a storm and anxiety hovers like fog; when dreams die and hope seems to evaporate; when life is not going the way we thought it would – these are the words we long to hear ... and believe.

"igbok" is a fresh, provocative look at my life message - hope. Real, authentic, trustworthy and life giving hope.

Over the years I have been drawn toward a message of faith and hope, trying to convey them using everyday ordinary things in my paintings. If hope is anything, it's accessible - just like the ordinary things of life.

Similarly, it seems most of my work flows out of ordinary conversations. Lloyd Shadrach and I have been discussing the nature of faith and hope since our friendship began in 2004, and this past summer one of those conversations birthed the idea of "igbok."

We both began to connect this phrase to the promises of God and have come to believe that God's promise to fragile, fearful people when life overwhelms is quite simply..."it's gonna be o.k."

When the rain was over and God wanted Noah to understand that He would never forsake us, He made an unbreakable promise, a covenant. And guess how He signed His name? A rainbow.

I think in those six colors arced across the heavens God is saying - "it's gonna be o.k."

As you contemplate these "igbok" paintings, look for God's signature. In a few it shouts, but in most it's simply a whisper, a subtle but sure reminder that whatever is troubling you... God is with you and makes a promise only He can keep...

igbok

The only way to know that "it's gonna be o.k." is to know and believe God's promise. He made an unbreakable covenant to us that He will make all things right one day. In this life, His promises come amid the darkness where we reach out in faith.

"Ultiimately "o.k." is not about circumstances in this life which is temporal. It's really about God's promise to make everything o.k. in the life to come which is forever." — David Arms

One of his paintings has a floating lid with "the invisible hand of God" Go here to see them: http://davidarms.com/

"For me, I have to know that hand is there for me. It is that invisible hand that keeps, holds and fills me." — David Arms

A floating lid represents the hand of God - you cannot see the hand, but you can see what the hand does. He fills us with fruit not to stay contained, but to overflow all around us.

If our heads stay down, it can feel so hopeless and too much to bear. It is when we lift our eyes that we see hope." — David Arms

Fear has a way of keeping our eyes on the horizon where dark clouds gather into darkness. Hope, on the other hand, pulls our eyes upward off the horizon to see that the clouds are breaking and light pours through.

http://davidarms.com/

igbok

"it's gonna be o.k."

I love this familiar phrase because I believe it is the universal language of hope.

Think about it...

When a child skins a knee or gets their feelings hurt; when the medical tests aren't good; when our hearts are crushed and disappointment overwhelms; when the money is short and the job is gone; when fear rolls in like a storm and anxiety hovers like a fog; when dreams die and hope seems to evaporate; when life is not going the way we thought it would...

Aren't these the words we long to hear...and believe? (From http://davidarms.com/ )

Thanks to Charlotte and Ginger for hosting Spiritual Sundays, go here for more inspiration.

It's going to be o.k!

Katherine