Possibilities
by Meaghan Troup
Original - Sold
Price
$650
Dimensions
18.000 x 24.000 x 0.500 inches
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Title
Possibilities
Artist
Meaghan Troup
Medium
Painting - Oil On Canvas
Description
"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10: 9-10
As children, the world seems vast and miraculous- full off adventures, full of possibilities. As we mature, we gain knowledge of the realities of life, and all too often we see this world is one of cruelty, greed and injustice. We become conditioned to confuse difficulty with impossibility. When a situation appears too daunting, we say that it is impossible, forgetting that we serve the God of all possibilities (and impossibilities). In our doubt, we package our Heavenly Father into our own human experience, and by doing so, chain ourselves.
The Bible gives us many examples of how God is the God of possibilities. The stories Noah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua and Caleb, David, Hannah, Ruth, Queen Esther, Job, Daniel, and the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are a just a few examples of God's power over impossibility. These are more than just fictional tales, as many see them, but poignant cases of how God makes the impossible possible.
God wants us to recognize that His power is greater than our problems. Our own bareness is not a limitation for Him. Our God is the God of life, of creation, and He can create new things where it doesn't seem possible.
God gives us current examples of His sovereignty over impossibility if we choose to see them. My life is undoubtedly one of these cases. When I was diagnosed with leukemia at 13 years old I was given a 25% chance of survival. Initially I felt strong in my denial that I would recover quickly from this illness; however as the severity of my condition and the reality of cancer sunk in I became desolate. Battling cancer is not glamorous, as portrayed in books and movies. It is raw, humiliating, and agonizing. Everything becomes a struggle- from staying hydrated and nourished to facing the ostracism of your peers as you attempt remain in school. Your life begins to revolve around pills and therapy schedules instead of sports, proms and extracurriculars. So much is lost. You fall asleep with no certainty that you will wake up the next morning. It is rock bottom, and it is the perfect breeding ground for faith.
When the reality of my illness hit me I prayed that God would heal me instantly. I knew He had the power to do so. When this didn't occur, I began to wonder why God was punishing me- what in 13 years of life could I have done that was so terrible to deserve cancer. As the years of this battle dragged on I prayed for death. Surviving leukemia seemed impossible to me, and with all the complications I faced, it was no longer something I desired to do. However, God built His child with an innate resistance to both failure and defeat, so I smiled through the pain and learned to lean on my Heavenly Father. Three years later, I emerged a "medical" miracle, not unscathed, but a strong and confident young woman that God had groomed for an extraordinary purpose.
God sees possibilities for our lives that we have never imagined. At times, new possibilities come at a price because who we are, or what we want, prevents us from doing what God has called us to do. There are times when God's possibilities are different from the ones we imagine. Sometimes they are so different that we can't see their glory until we are well along the road and look back. Leukemia was obviously not a possibility I saw for myself, nor the obstacles I faced battling for my life. Instant healing, or no illness at all, would have been my choice at the time. However, looking back, I see the gifts that God gave me during this trial. He gave me new eyes so I can see the world more as He does, and He gave me a new heart so I can feel for others more like Him. God gave me inner strength so I can stand before the darkness in this world fearlessly and still embrace His beauty that is all around me. My faith is unshakeable. During this time, reduced activities allowed me to pour myself into art and develop this God-given talent for His purposes. I am just beginning to see the amazing ways in which He is using this. In hindsight, I see how utterly unequipped I would be for God's calling in my life if I had not been the kid with cancer.
Faith is something that occurs when we have no certainty. It is possessing the courage to move forward without knowing exactly what lies ahead, but with the conviction that the step is well taken. Faith embraces the impossible. When the faithful find themselves in an "impossible" place, God is always at work to create new possibilities where there seems to be none. God's answer of "no" is also the beginning of possibilities if we relinquish the old possibilities we had for ourselves and seek God. We must place all we have in God's hands regardless of what we get- recognizing that all things belong to Him. God bestows new possibilities on those who are willing to share them (and Him) to the world. To receive new possibilities, we must have faith in the unfathomable nature God.
Before you complain about how difficult your situation is think about this: If Christ can die for you, what else can't He do for you? Do you believe that the God of all possibilities can take care of your problems? Can you embrace the impossible and walk in the direction of a Heavenly Father who makes all things possible?
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February 7th, 2013
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