Try to remember the first time God answered your prayer. The humble and contrite request you laid at his feet ( Psalm 51: 17), your first sacrifice that cost you more than you knew. That was your mustard seed, and that’s what I offered to God January of 2020.

Facing an uncertain future, I asked Him: "Who are You? Who am I? And why am I here?"

A week later, I joined a room on Clubhouse, the audio app that connected people during lockdown—where creatives were discussing inspiration. I didn't paint much then, but one idea caught me: create from your fears. For me, that meant confronting my fear of the Bible itself—a book I remembered only for its rules, commandments, and the depravity of man. Everything I'd been running from.

So I painted the scriptures that scared me most: Genesis 3:19, Jonah, Matthew 22:14, James 1:2-8. At the time, I thought I was just making my fears less frightening.

But three years later, in July 2023, God answered my prayer in His audible voice: "I've answered your plea through the very verses you've painted. You are called and chosen—dust that I've breathed life into. I've called you to preach against the wickedness of your city, but you've turned and run. I want to give you wisdom generously, but you've been double-minded."

I was still living a secular life when I heard His voice, but that moment gave me a surety I'd never known before. He heard me. He answers. And He had a plan for my life.

I realized the Bible I'd been running from was pointing directly to my identity in Christ. God and His Word had never left me and in Him, I would find the answers to all my questions.

My identity is His. And now, I want nothing more than to help others open their Bibles again and discover the awe, beauty, and wonder of God's Word.