The Invisible Invincible Princess
By: Susan Deborah Schiller
If it is said that a "picture is worth a thousand words," do you think a picture can be a prayer? I believe there are prayers so heavy and strong in our hearts that words cannot be found that touch the deepest place in our hearts.
Maybe that's why God gives us dreams. There's something that happens when we SEE what we hope for, even if it's just an image, a vision, or a dream.
"Seeing is believing" and my word for 2014 is BELIEVE. So I need to see a lot. I want to see what I'm believing, using "eyes of faith".
The picture of the princess swinging amongst the stars is an image I picked for a little girl, for whom I've been praying. She has been through more than a thousand trials. Her mother nearly died, more than once. Her father is a drug dealer who comes and goes in her life, and she only feels safe when he's gone.
His preferred torment, however, is to pull the custody strings through court action. He is bound and determined to methodically strangle his prey, using this child as the rope around her loving mother's neck.
This little image prayed words I could not have thought to ask of God. To me, the image helped me to believe for this little girl to find a safe place, above the crises of her life, and to have joy, even in the midst of her enemies.
This image became my prayer for her... but God has a way of doing far above and beyond our own ability to pray. He's given this girl an acting job with Disney! (Do you see the Disney-like castle with fireworks in the image above?)
The justice system, welfare, church, school… none of these systems have been able to protect her, provide for her, or pull her out of the dragon's mouth.
When all systems fail, the predators have a hey day. Victims feel invisible. So I titled the image, "The Invisible Invincible Princess". And so she is becoming, I believe.
How about you? Do you have an image that pulls on your heart strings? How does it make you feel? Even if you can't put words to it, let those emotions stir your soul.
There are words in pictures – thousands of them – that your language cannot begin breathe let alone speak. Let the image be your prayer. You're not worshiping the image… you're allowing that little something – that dream, that unspoken wish, that silent scream – to speak.
What you speak is what you get. God is the one who does the speaking, when we barely know what to say.
You don't need to know all the words. Maybe God will speak in a dream, a vision, or a magazine picture. He uses movies, too!
Use your eyes today to see beyond the natural. Don't be afraid to write the visions down. Keep the pictures and the feelings they arouse in your mind.
I use a journal and have found it to be more helpful years afterward than the day I first recorded the visions and dreams. I find these dreams and vision always become real. In fact, the very first dream I remember has become the blueprint for my entire life!
This is what children do – they use their imagination – those pictures – and they make believe. "Make believe" is a children's game that may seem foolish to us, as adults. But it's how we make these visions and images become real. We use our imagination!
We must become like children to enter the Kingdom of God. So don't be afraid to be a little "foolish". The art of goofy-stupid can be a good thing.
Some people call this "art journaling." I just call it praying. Have you ever used art as a prayer?
With all my love,
Sue
Susan Schiller knows how it feels to lose everything: marriage and family, church and reputation, finances and businesses, and more. Susan's upcoming, interactive memoir, "On the Way Home," tells the story of how she came to be known as "the most abused woman" her counselors had yet met and how she learned to navigate her way out of hell to a rich and satisfying life. In her lifetime, Susan has served in duties ranging from home school mom – to pastor – to full-time deliverance minister – and to Midwest regional prayer coordinator for a large international ministry. These days you can usually find Susan soaking in her favorite hot springs pool, reading a book (or several), blogging, baking bread, or hanging out with her family and friends. You can pre-order a free copy of Susan's upcoming book, "On the Way Home" by registering here.
Copyright 2014, Susan Schiller, http://TeamFamilyOnline.com. For reprint permission for any private or commercial use, in any form of media, please contact Susan Schiller.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
This is so beautifully said and I'm so happy I found your website. Believe… my word has been trust. I see the vision… but I need to trust it.. so very very similar 🙂
This is such a heartfelt and awesome tool… I like the idea of using an image and creating your own story. Amazing. Thank you.
Hi Tamala,
“Trust” – wow, I spent a year in that word, too… oh my, the stories you must have to share!Â
I look forward to reading your words!
It is so true that pictures tell a thousand words. My pictures that have that emotional pull are always those with my children in, usually from a lovely holiday moment or captured when they're not arguing. Thank you for your post.
Hi Sara,
I treasure my children’s photos, too, even decades later! There are treasures hidden in those smiles and such life behind their eyes!