Capacity Focus, 32b: Akiane -- let us breeze our heads out by listening to Akiane Kramarik, an inspired artistic genius

Here is a third astonishing case, Akiane Kramarik:

(Interview here.)

Wikipedia's stub article is almost as impressive for what it cannot gainsay, as for what it says:

Akiane Kramarik was born in Mount Morris, Illinois to a Lithuanian mother and an American father. She is homeschooled.^[1]

She is primarily a self-taught painter. However, she states that God has given her the visions and abilities to create her artwork, which is unusual for her family, considering both her parents were atheist at the time (they later converted to Christianity on account of Kramarik's paintings and visions). Kramarik started drawing at the age of four, advancing to painting at six, and writing poetry at seven. Her first completed self-portrait sold for US$10,000.^[2] A portion of the money generated from sales is donated by Kramarik to charities.^[3] According to Kramarik, her art is inspired by her visions of heaven, and her personal connection with God. Kramarik's art depicts life, landscape, and people.

At the age of 10, she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and at the age of 12, on CNN.

God is moving, moving like a wind; we know not whence his anointing comes, or why, but we can see it from its effects of blessing. So, let us heed Paul's sound counsel on inspiration:

^{1 Thess 5:16} Be joyful always; ¹⁷ pray continually; ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 ¹⁹ Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; ²⁰ do not treat prophecies with contempt. ²¹ Test everything. Hold on to the good. ²² Avoid every kind of evil.

 ²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

So, we must be open to respect and receive, but also to discern. (Not all that is talented, gifted or inspired is of God.)

Let us therefore prepare our hearts to receive the blessings that God so graciously and freely gives through gifted people, and let us be more sensitive and responsive to his leading so we, too, can be vehicles of blessing. END