Sandlewood and Vanilla

I have been presented with a wonderful opportunity to speak at a local artists' night here in Adelaide. It's a "Pecha Kucha" night, where the artists share 20 images, each for 20 seconds, and talk to the audience about, well whatever they like, pertaining to their art. 

This is a wonderful opportunity to share my personal testimony with a majority non-Christian audience; in fact, I would go so far as to suggest there may be some quite anti our beliefs, as is often the case among creative circles, sadly. 

This has really got me thinking about how we relate to a non-faith based audience, with what we write/present/speak on. My journey has been both incredible, with such a wonderful experience of healing, but also in some ways quite heartbreaking, and not at all what I thought it would be. But I am absolutely certain that God is the centre of everything I have experienced; therefore, to present my story, even minus the specifics, I must include God, or I would have nothing to share. I feel quite nervous about this, it's such a foreign environment for me; but I believe that God is showing me, in his beautiful and gentle way, how I should approach this.

I am to be like the beautiful, Sandlewood & Vanilla-scented soy wax candle I am enjoying as I am typing:

• The aroma of this candle is beautiful and delicate; it does not overwhelm me with such a powerful scent that I cannot bear it, but rather just subtly touches the air around me, so I catch a glimpse of the flavours every so often. Heavenly!

• The glass the candle is held in is translucent; the glow from the flame is evident, but is not glaring and blinding, forcing me to turn my face away; it is gentle and alluring, the flicker dancing to its own tune, bringing such a delightful sense of tranquility. 

• The candle did not light itself; it relied on someone else to light its fuse.

• Every time the candle is lit, it is changed; the wax is melted, then reforms a little differently, and the wick has become just that bit shorter.

And this is how these things relate to my presentation:

• My faith should come across gently, not so over-the-top that people feel overwhelmed, but rather that they hear a small, sensible account of my faith; God should be woven in between the layers of the story, so people know without a doubt that he is there, and do not tune out right from the start.

• Preaching to people who are not familiar with God will accomplish little more than blinding them, like lighting a flare in a room that has been in darkness for years. Yes, I absolutely should shine my light, but in this setting, a little will go a long way. Too much, and they will turn their faces away.

• I can probably come up with an adequate presentation without God; I am creative, after all...but unless I include God in the preparations, my light will remain unlit. And in the same way an unlit candle gives off neither scent nor light, my presentation without God would be...perhaps entertaining, at best? I want to be courageous in a place where faith is seen as weakness, or worse, as bigoted religiosity, and show that there is so much more to God and to being a Christian than what the media, and social media, depict.

• As I step out and speak of my faith in God, I am making a declaration that I am prepared to be changed - that is, I am willing for God to determine how my name is defined. I want to be accepted as a respected photographer/speaker/writer, but people will see me on this night and they will form their own judgments/opinions accordingly. Throwing faith into the mix may cost me some degree of credibility, or alienate me from other artists who perhaps are not accepting of Christians. But I will not modify my story by intentionally removing God from it, for the sake of others' approval.
  
  Ultimately I pray that they will see someone with kindness, compassion, humour, hopefully talent, and a story of healing and freedom from mental health issues of nearly 20 years; that they will leave with hope, for themselves and/or somebody else they may know.
  
  And I pray that God would use my words and pictures as a link in the chain of someone's salvation. Not because I stood there and preached up a storm, but because I stood there like a fragrant candle, with gentleness and a peace that falls on all who are there. 

Blessings, Helen

Matthew 5:15-17 (NIV)
15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.