I think Tessa is the only guest I've had in this series that I knew in my personal life before I discovered she had a blog online. For the nearly two years I've had the pleasure of knowing Tessa, I've been struck continuously with the wisdom and maturity she carries at such a young age; the type of wisdom and maturity that manifests in a great love for other people through the confidence that she has in knowing how much she is loved by our heavenly Father - and in the desire to share that knowledge with whomever she meets, whether through ministry, friendship or to those of us lucky enough to be a part of her home community. An incredibly talented writer and artist, I am very excited to introduce Tessa to you today...
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| "iii.xx" by Tessa Moore |
Redemption
came for me in a place of deep surrender. It was a season of
obedience and letting go. I gave to the Lord my first fruits, the
things I held most dear. My future, my schooling… everything. The
thing I learned about God is that when we give Him ourselves, He is
faithful to not let us remain empty. We empty ourselves to be
filled.
Through big mountains in my life (difficulties, transitions,
changes), God continued to fill and be faithful. He redeemed me to
Himself. He did not miss a thing, but saw all, and loved all. He
loved me to life through my surrender to Him. It was my alabaster
jar of perfume: I saw His worth and so I poured it all out.
One
thing I love about the Lord is that when we look back and see His
faithfulness, we can be sure of His future faithfulness to us. We do
not have to fear our future, but can rest assured that He has us
covered—head to toe.
My
life is in a huge transition phase. There are times when all these
changes paralyze me, but when I think of how God has been faithful to
me in the past, I do not fear the mountains in front of me. Instead,
I look forward with joy to the changes, to the transitions, because I
know just as God has met me along these mountains, even more so will
He meet me now. These mountains will cause my heart to love Him
more, and is that not what we were all created for?
This
watercolor piece, titled iii.xx
is my representation of redemption, and future redemption. God has
given me grace to let go, grace to follow him, and grace to let Him
redeem me to life, and life abundant. I no longer live held back,
but I am set free, and soaring with my God. Redemption came in the
form of obedience; redemption came in the form of finding God’s
worth, and laying it all down. This has not become one
moment of surrender to God, but a daily choice to walk in obedience,
humility, and love for my King. I choose to love Him above all, and
to trust that He will always go above and beyond what I could ever
ask or imagine in return.
The
geometric mountains represent all the big things coming up in my
life... my big move across the country, my career change, and my
marriage to the love of my life in November… I believe that God’s
banner over me in all things is Ephesians 3:20, and as I cross these
mountains, that He will meet me with accomplishing infinitely more
than I might ever ask or think.
I
use Swedish in most of my art pieces as a reminder of my heritage and
my ancestors that went before me, who fought the good fight, and
lived lives worthy of their calling. Äran
tillhör Gud is
the beginning of Ephesians 3:20 in Swedish, meaning Glory
belongs to God.
And so it does, the glory belongs to God.
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| detail of "iii.xx" by Tessa Moore |
Bio
My
name is Tessa Moore and I am a young watercolor artist from Chicago,
Illinois. I grew up in an incredibly creative family, and with three
older siblings. My whole life I have loved art and writing, but only
recently discovered my love and passion for watercolor. I gave my
life to follow Jesus at a young age, and feel that I connect with Him
best while doing art. When I paint, I feel God’s presence so
strongly. I am excited for how God is going to use art in my future
and in my walk with Him.
I
have recently started my own side work called Emelia
No. 4.
This includes design, watercolor, and writing. My first love was
writing, and it is really exciting for me to see how watercolor and
writing are colliding for me. My blog is tessaemelia.wordpress.com,
and will soon be posting more of my artwork, as well as more
consistent writing. If you are interested in a custom watercolor or
graphic piece, contact me at tessa.moore@rocketmail.com
for more information.
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