Drawing Christ

Even a small belief in God will bring mighty changes for good. When I sat down as a teen to draw Christ, I had no idea how it would shape my life.

Finding our faith in Jesus Christ is a personal journey. A growing spiritual connection that will reshape how we look at life. It takes just one humble moment to feel the warmth, empathy, and peace that is offered to us. A discovery we may want to share.

My journey started when I was 17 years old in northern Vermont. I was almost done with High School and had a part-time job saving for college. There were not a lot of people in my neck of the woods so I had a lot of time to myself. Between hiking, dirt biking, and using a slingshot, I also did some drawing. It was a time of personal reflection, Who am I going to be?

Mainly I had a desire to discover who I am. I drove our family an hour to church every Sunday. My Dad was not always on board, but my Mom was a convert. So I had a belief in God. I found myself deciding to make this religion thing more real in my life. To kick the tires, and connect more with my Heavenly Father. By praying with real intent, reading about Christ's life and teachings, and trying to be a better person.

I wanted to draw what I was reading about in Christ's life. I only listened to classical hymns and started each drawing session with a prayer. Words do not convey the emotions I felt when drawing that picture. My parents were a bit concerned as I was focused in my room for several days. When I finished drawing the "Crown of Thorns", it felt like a weight had been lifted. It felt good but needed a scripture - John 15:13.

A week later, my parents were visiting with a long-time family friend. They showed him my sketch. He said something I had never heard before about any of my sketches. He said he was moved by it and would love a copy. He was a university professor and knew someone there who could make offset prints. It took a few weeks, but he got his copy and a few extra for me.

The Christ sketch helped me get a small scholarship to college in the fall. I took a couple of drawing classes but switched to Graphic Design. I only ever did one more sketch of Christ after that year. I came home that summer to work at a ski resort and decided to prepare to go on a mission to share the Gospel. When I went back to college, I brought a bunch of Christ pictures. In the evenings, my roommates and I would go door to door selling these prints to raise money for my mission.

I also brought a bunch of Christ prints on my mission to Hong Kong. They were used as teaching tools and gifts. Eventually, the mission president asked me to create open houses and street displays for all the missionaries in Hong Kong. That one picture of Christ had already started shaping my path.

Right after my mission, I felt inspired to redraw Christ. I decided not to look at any references, just draw from my heart. So I drew one last sketch… the "Lord Looketh" based on Samuel 16:7. Over the years, I had certainly grown to follow Christ and accept His great gift. As I developed a personal relationship, I understood He knows me.

I went back to college, and after a few months I decided eating table scraps wasn't enough. I went to a missionary store in the local mall and asked if they wanted to sell my sketches of Christ. She said okay and put a few out to the test. She ordered more. And more. Enough for me to eat real food and pay down my college debt as this sketch ended up in some church and college book stores over the next sevaral years. A blessing I was not expecting when I did this drawing.

After a while, I decided not to sell them anymore. I found work - I was a graphic designer. Drawing and my Christ pictures were a thing of the past. After a decade of life, I found my way back to Vermont for a time to teach martial arts and gymnastics. The same friend who helped me initially print my picture of Christ asked me why I never got married. I had no real answer. He said I should try a church online dating site. He asked again a few months later… and I finally signed up.

I had some replies, but one stood out. She asked me why I had drawn the same picture of Christ that she did. I had included the picture of Christ in my dating profile. Many years back her college roommate over in Hawaii had my picture of Christ hanging up. She wanted to draw it. She figured some old man sketched it years ago. Long story short we have been married for over twenty years now. That simple sketch was still shaping my path.

I have not sold my Christ pictures for decades now, but continued to give them out to interested people I met. Usually when people asked how I met my wife. Recently, I have been printing a lot for my local church to hand them out to their friends and neighbors. Missionaries have been using them as teaching tools and gifts. To hang up in their homes as a daily reminder of our Savior Jesus Christ. I then felt inspired to create a simple non-commercial missionary website so anyone can freely download copies of my Jesus Christ art to print and share, no strings attached. Again, it is shaping my path over 40 years later.

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

God does not call us to be successful. He calls us to be faithful.