24 in x 36 in. Oil on stretched canvas
My husband always says that he knows God is real because oranges exist. "They come in a waterproof biodegradable package and when you open it, the fruit is already pre-sliced. They are so sweet yet make you healthy. They grow year around. They smell so good. They're perfect." So when life gives you oranges, remember God and all of his magnificent creations.
This is my experience
I had just turned 18 and went to teach English to little kids in Ukraine. A few months in, I woke up one day with the darkest feeling surrounding me. I remember thinking that this didn’t feel like depression or anxiety. It just felt dark. Like evil. Scary intrusive awful thoughts suddenly flooded my brain. I kept thinking, “These thoughts are not my own.”
By the third day of this intense vile heaviness, I couldn’t take it anymore. I got to my classroom early that day and fell on my knees bawling. I prayed my heart out that whatever was surrounding me would leave. I thought, “Christ can make this disappear.” And when I said Amen, I felt just as horrible as I did when I began.
Doubts about God and his power came flooding in.
In that moment of deep anguish, a beautiful 25 year old Ukrainian woman who worked at the front desk of the school walked. She had long brown hair and a sweet smile. In broken English she held out her hands and said, “I brought you an orange.”
In that instance, the darkness left. No, actually, it fled. It was as if this small act of love made it impossible for any evil spirit to surround me. I burst out in tears. She asked me what was wrong not knowing that everything was right again. I’ll never forget Anya and the power that that act had on the energy around me.
By the way, I opened the orange and it was rotten inside. I smiled and reflected that acts of service might look like giving rotten fruit to someone, but that doesn’t take away it’s power and love. ✨