Tag Archives: Lion and the Lamb

It’s a No

Watch this “Lion and the Lamb” oil painting come alive in 2 minutes (time lapse)

The update to yesterday’s post “Feeling Froggy?” is: no. No, the home owner is not willing to extend our lease by one month so that we can rent a house that isn’t available until June. We must be out by May 31, period. They want to sell and are concerned they’ll miss the housing spike window. Understood. So, I’ll have to put myself into the right mindset to take on this challenge of finding a new place to rent before then. Rents are so high, it’s absurd! We would be paying DOUBLE what we pay now in some cases. We might end up living an hour and a half away from where my family needs to be for work/school and it will even then still cost us a few hundred dollars more in rent than we currently pay.

This is rather heartbreaking because we have worked so hard to rebuild our lives and are only a few months away from buying a house. This could sink us and make us stuck in a rental for who knows how long. I will make sure that doesn’t happen! But, the fear is real.

I’ll have to live by my own words, when I previously featured this lion and lamb painting in a blog post about balancing the attributes of the character of a lion with the character of a lamb. This was the part about fear:

When I’m unsure of what to do, I ask myself “is this an action of faith or fear?” If I’m aligned with the character and attitudes of a lion and a lamb, then my decision is based on faith. If I’m not adhering to those traits, then I’m likely responding in fear. 

Fear is a healthy and normal response, but our actions cannot be ruled by it.

from blog post “Are you a lion or a lamb?”

Peace in Sadness

See oil painting “Lion and the Lamb” come alive in 2 minutes (time lapse)

This art might feel different depending on what’s going on in the world and in your life when you view it. Today it feels (to me) like the title of this post, “peace in sadness”. I’m not sure how to put into words what I mean by this, but I’ll try. When too exhausted to maintain anger and anxiety, when too weary to be passionately hopeful, and too much time has passed for a trial to be resolved before harm is done, all that remains is a sad sort of peace that settles in when there’s nothing left to do but accept what is.

May we be protected like this lion protects the lamb. Resting inside a cave shelter while waters rush by, we wait out the storms of this world. God bless you and keep you, this day and always.

Meek or Mighty?

See oil painting “Lion and the Lamb” come alive in 2 minutes (time lapse)

I did a series of blog posts related to this painting: “Are you a lion or a lamb?“, “Be a lion“, and “Be a lamb“. But today I’m thinking of the traits meek and mighty. As we reflect on the week ahead, in which areas of our lives do we choose to be meek, and which areas do we choose to be mighty?

My personal focus is to be meek when it comes to control, and mighty when it comes to power. I want to let go of those things I can’t control. I have done my best, and that’s all that is expected of me. Humility allows us to accept that we are not capable of all things, and that others have gifts and callings that we do not. We are not always the best person for all jobs. We are only asked to play our part, not to worry about responsibilities that belong to others.

But when it comes to those responsibilities that belong to us, may we be mighty in power to do what’s asked of us with strong energy, a positive mindset, and a spirit of hope. Whether our roles are rooted in servitude, like cleaning up after others, or performing other acts that seem “low”, but need to be done (and are perhaps unpaid tasks), or whether attempting big projects and lofty goals, may we be gracious in accepting the work given to us and do it well. 

Productive work is a human right. It creates a sense of purpose, which leads to happiness, peace, and health. Focusing on the work we’re asked to do, and letting go of responsibilities that are not ours, also leads to happiness, peace, and health, because we manage stress, reduce anxiety, fear, resentment and depression; and we sleep better at night. May we be meek about control, but mighty in power. God bless you this week and always.

“Lion and the Lamb”

Watch Natalie paint this art, and all 50 oil paintings in this collection (menu below)

“This piece was inspired by seeing the beautiful religious art in the historic Cathedral of John the Baptist in Savannah, Georgia. The day we visited the Cathedral, there was a baby baptism being held, and I didn’t want to intrude, but I was able to survey the interior and it was breathtaking. The Cathedral is an important stop on a tourist’s map, but it is awe inspiring for locals as well, and the church is still very active in the community.

After seeing the stained glass windows in the cathedral, I wanted to create my own vision of Christian art, in my modern-day style of an artist living in 2019, while still honoring the traditional stories and history. I imagined Jesus as both precious lamb and sacrifice, and mighty warrior Lion… King. Sheltering the lamb in the storm, the King is merciful, kind, and loving.”

Lion and the Lamb oil painting by Natalie Buske Thomas (cropped view)
Lion and the Lamb oil painting by Natalie Buske Thomas

List of Oil Paintings in this Collection, linking to their pages here on the site, and also citing physical pages in the hardcover book:

  1. City of Savannah
    1.1 “City of Savannah” page 6-7
    1.2 “Natalie at the Fountain” page 8-11
    1.3 “House in Savannah” page 12-13
    1.4 “Guardian Lion” page 14-15
    1.5 “Autumn Angel” page 16-17
    1.6 “Steamship Savannah” page 18-19
    1.7 “Boiled Peanuts for Sale” page 20-21
    1.8 “Bulldog” page 22-23
    1.9 “Serenity Piano” page 24-25
    1.10 “Painting Colors” page 26-27
  2. Tybee Island
    2.1 “I Love Life” page 30-31
    2.2 “Living Sand Dollar” page 32-33
    2.3 “Matthew the Sea Turtle” page 34-35
    2.4 “Fungie the Dolphin” page36-37
    2.5 “Angel Releasing Dove” page 38-39
    2.6 “Flag on Tybee Island” page 40-41
    2.7 “My Kids at the Beach” page 42-43
    2.8 “Lighthouse near Tybee Island” page 44-45
  3. Birds, Reptiles and Amphibians
    3.1 “Gator and Snake” page 48-49
    3.2 “Tree Frog” page 50-51
    3.3 “Lizard” page 52-53
    3.4 “Blue Heron” page 54-55
    3.5 “Hummingbird” page 56-57
    3.6 “Painted Bunting” page 58-59
  4. Flowers and Trees
    4.1 “Pink Flower” page 62-63
    4.2 “Porch Flowers” page 64-65
    4.3 “Clover” page 66-67
    4.4 “Butterfly Tree Flowers” page 68-69
    4.5 “Savannah Tree” page 70-71
    4.6 “Dancer in a Floral Forest” page 72-73
    4.7 “Come to the Garden” page 74-77
    4.8 “Cherokee Rose” page 78-79
  5. Faith and Food
    5.1 “Floral Cross” page 82-83
    5.2 “Lenten Flower” page 84-85
    5.3 “Celtic Cross” page 86-87
    5.4 “Mary of God’s Favor” page 88-89
    5.5 “Lion and the Lamb” page 90-91
    5.6 “Breakfast with Friends” page 92-93
    5.7 “Peaches in a Bowl” page 94-95
    5.8 “Peach Cookies” page 96-97
    5.9 “Peach Pie” page 98-99
  6. Seasons and Weather
    6.1 “Pumpkins and Mums” page 102-103
    6.2 “Autumn Cottage” page 104-105
    6.3 “Spring Lambs” page 106-107
    6.4 “Peach Tree Hurricane” page 108-109
    6.5 “Eye of the Storm” page 110-111
    6.6 “God’s Promise” page 112-113
    6.7 “We Gather Together” page 114-115
    6.8 “Savannah Snow” page 116-117
    6.9 “I Believe in Santa” page 118-119