When I made this visual blessing I knew who it was for. I got a vision for it during worship at church and gave it to one of our worship leaders who has blessed me with her humility and the gift of song God has given her. It took longer to make than most, so you can imagine my disappointment when I turned over the blessing (I use both sides for the blessings) and realized I made that side upside down. A mistake, and all that time wasted… or was it? As I turned the blessing around a message jumped out at me: In God's kingdom serving him is upside down from how the world works. We tend to glorify the people up front wishing we had what they have. (American Idol comes to mind) But God wants leaders to be humble, dependent on Him, listening and willing to risk, offering the gifts He's given back to Him. The choice stated in Leo Tolstoy's quote below is driving into my heart. Sometimes it's hard for me to risk reaching out and serving God with my artistic gift. I want to "fly under the radar" and tend to get discouraged by setbacks or perceived failures. It takes humility and courage, knowing that sometimes I'm just going to mess up and other times I will be amazed at what God is doing. Risk. If God is leading I do not need to be afraid, but listen to His voice and do what he says. In the blessing below you are seeing both sides right-side up, unlike the recipient. 

And today I ask God to bless us with joy in serving Him, humility and courage, 

and that He will lead us with His peace.

Valerie Sjodin, copyright 2011