More Information about "Healing by HIS Design" -
A Breakthrough in HIS Creativity by Jan Small

Wouldn't it be wonderful if there were no "bushels" to prevent our lights from shining as brightly as they should? Unfortunately, these "bushels" or reasons come in many forms. This book's purpose is to break through those bushels!

Healing By HIS Design is exciting because it is about revealing your feelings in a positive way and letting God give understanding, wisdom and healing in needed places in your heart. As you proceed from chapter to chapter you will expect God's healing power and receive freedom from the reasons which have prevented your light from shining.

When you work through the lessons you will find excitement in exploring and discovering the creativity God has given to you. You will appreciate the purposes of being alone and the perfectness of endurance. You will savor patience gained through anticipation and know God better when the anticipation moves forward to realization. You will be able to make stronger commitments as you become real. You will receive healing as you examine your heart and you'll ascertain biblical truths as you learn to balance the designs. You will learn the value of rest and necessity of standing naked before God. You will look forward to your dreams. And lastly, you will find you have matured and your light will be shining as you prepare to bear fruit.

Healing By HIS Design  has been gleaned from my own personal experience as an artist. There was a time when my light couldn't shine because it was hidden beneath a bushel of grief, pressed down with fear, covered with shame and eventually ruled by pride.

I denied myself the freedom of expressing grief over the loss of three babies, none of whom lived to be a week old. When feelings are denied over a period of time, the fear of expressing those feelings enters in. Add to fear shame or other feelings which have roots in pride and the entire spirit of the individual becomes bound up. That's how freedom to "let your light so shine" can be lost, preventing the individual from being whole, complete. The frustrated spirit cries out for freedom but it is tightly bound and there is constant struggle.

How can freedom be attained? Freedom is attained only through Jesus Christ. Very often, however, feelings need to be recognized before they can be healed. Healing By HIS Design shows you how to recognize these feelings and express them creatively. This is the way the Lord used to heal me. I am delighted to pass it along to you.

I received the "calling" to be an artist following the birth of our youngest son, Michael. At first I had but one goal: to put on canvas exactly what I saw before me. At the outset I painted only what was "acceptable" and expressed the subject matter in a proper realistic way. Daily I studied and practiced in pursuit of this goal until the day arrived wherein the picture on the canvas looked precisely like the subject I had hoped to portray. Yet, even though it was technically correct, the painting failed to give forth the message I desired. Something was missing!

I continued to paint and study because I wanted to create images in such a way that the viewer might touch upon his own feelings. the only outlet I had for truly expressing my feelings was art, but I didn't know how to register these feelings.

My teachers had successfully communicated the secrets of composition, color and perspective but not one had clearly and precisely taught the secret of expressing feelings. Because I had denied my own feelings, for many years, this secret continued to elude me.

Something wonderful happened one day as I accompanied my husband on a skin-diving expedition. While he was diving, I prepared to draw. But, rather than draw in the acceptable manner (what I saw), I wanted to close my eyes and draw what I felt. I needed to close my eyes so the eyes would not influence the drawing. I wanted to feel   things more than see them.

As I did this, I experienced a deep peace,  like a cool, fresh breeze had found its way inside, blowing away the years of accumulated dust. A breakthrough had taken place, not only in my personal creativity, by in my spirit as well. My feeling  designs, soon became healing  designs.

During quiet moments at home and in natural settings away from home I explored this new form of expression. For a while, I worked in my Book of Feelings  (a 5" x 8" bound sketchbook with blank pages) by looking at a scene then shutting my eyes and drawing in much the same way we all doodle. Very quickly, however, my approach changed.

I wanted to record something more than the way things looked. I wanted to record the way things felt to me. And beyond that, I wanted to really hear  what God was saying to me. So I used the Book of Feelings  as my journal. Instead of recording my feelings in words, I recorded them by designs.

I had always been reluctant to keep a diary or journal of any kind because I sometimes had thoughts I didn't want anyone to know about. So rather than risk anyone ever seeing them written down, I kept them buried inside.

Thoughts and feelings many times can become burdens and cause us to become ill. So often there is no one we can talk to. And then, if we were to verbalize we might not know how because our feelings come in abstract ways, or in ways we are reluctant to admit to even ourselves.

Miracles of healing took place in my spirit and I wanted to share this discovery with others. I was able to do so when I worked with school children through the MGM program (Mentally Gifted Minors), students at schools for the mentally and physically handicapped, groups of Senior Citizens, abandoned and abused children at Alameda County Juvenile Hall, special workshops of various organizations and the students in my own private art school. I taught each of them the technique revealed to me that day on the beach. Some of their work is in this book.

After this technique had been used for my own expression of feelings and had been publicly presented to various groups, I felt called to give the program a wider distribution. Students who had never before had art lessons, were invited to join me in formalizing the program. Their works, as well as my own, are included in this volume.

The purpose of Healing By HIS Design  is not to promote a program, but  to serve as a means through which the Holy Spirit can work in your life.  If you have a need to express yourself and wish to do it in a positive, constructive way, this book is for you. If you have denied your feelings for so long that you've forgotten how to acknowledge them, this book is for you. If you have hurts that need healing, this book is for you. If you have a desire to "let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven," then this book is for you!