I don’t know how much you know about my classroom experience this year, or what this class has meant to me, but I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that the Lord used this group of kids to save my teaching career. I know that sounds extreme, but I feel that it is true. I adore them. They are, each of them, going to leave a small hole in my heart when they go to 5th grade. They have changed me.

So when the art teacher mentioned that each student AND teacher got to create an art project for an art show, I was pumped. I had a picture in my mind of exactly what I wanted to do.

Here’s something you need to know about me (if you don’t already)- if I don’t think that something is purposeful, I usually don’t do it. Not the most impressive quality in my life, but still who I am today. So, as I watched the teacher next door to me spend 3 hours sketching a turkey, I was shocked when she said that she didn’t even care about it- she was just following directions. If I’m going to spend 3 hours working on something, it better have meaning to it.

I spent about 3 hours on my piece as well. And, no shocker here, I cried over it. Because as I look at it, I see God. I guess, more than seeing God, I see how God held my little life in His hands and said, “I made her for them.” All I had to offer Him was scraps- just like the collages in this painting. And look what He did.

Isn’t that just like God? You give Him the pieces and He makes a masterpiece.

This has every one of my students’ names, eyes and mouth. And I can’t stop looking at it because I think it is gorgeous and it reminds me of God’s faithfulness.

The students named it “We Are.” because they said “that is who we are”. And I loved the title. I could finish that sentence 100 ways: We are loved. We are a family. We are hilarious. We are loud. We are spunky. We are happy. We are kind. We are imperfect. We are exhausting. We are affectionate. We are (at times) frustrating and annoying.

BUT- We are the ones who rescued Ms. Downs’ heart. We are exactly what she needed.

The company doing this art show is going to frame and mat all the paintings, then we can purchase them in May. Yes, it will be hanging in my house. And it will remind me, again, to trust Him with EVERY area of my life.