The Family Crest

I was reading "Decisions that Define us" by David Crone the night before a prophetic arts workshop I was going to attend the next day. I read how the author was in an antique book shop and saw a family crest with the words, "Non Inferiora Secutus", which is Latin for "Not having followed inferior things". The author was completely wrecked having seen this and had to hold on to something without collapsing from the weight of this message. He then vowed to make this his family's legacy. As a result, his family made rings with the initials NIS and this is the covenant they made. "The wearers of these rings covenant together to never walk in inferior goals, or settle for inferior character. Each will aspire, with the help of God and each other, to reach for the greatest good in all things pertaining to faith and life." My soul jumped inside me as I realized that I too wanted a family crest, words given to me from the Father, to inspire and transform my life and the lives of those around me. I put these words of the author at the front of my new journal for 2009. However, God whispered to me that I should leave a blank space on that page for what He was going to say to me about my identity.

The next day I attended the prophetic arts workshop with my son Skyler. We teamed up with someone we didn't know and were told to let the Holy Spirit speak to us about the other person. We were then instructed to draw what we felt the Holy Spirit was giving us in the way of a picture. This is the picture and interpretation given to me by Deb, a follower of Christ from Southpoint Church.

The interpretation reads as follows: I see a shield in your hand - the very shield of God's own hand-picked son. There is a sun in one quadrant for the light of God which you brighten every place you go. In another quadrant are the fiery licks of the Holy Spirit, moving in you. The third quadrant is of water; healing, soothing, and refreshing water. The last quadrant is empty - a vacancy in you that is willing for God to fill. How Blessed are you for such willing obedience. A vine of leaves grows straight with roots deep and twining tendrils reach out. Your faith is the roots. Your life fleshes out the leaves upon the vine; beautiful, life-giving, fragrant, delicious! The tendrils of new growth reach out to bless others with God's touch.

God is so amazing! He is so good! He is so beyond words! He is so beyond any actions of mine or ours! Not letting him into our little worlds is the greatest travesty of all! I am so blessed, humbled and empowered on a daily basis by the one who picked me.