“I paint, and God breathes life into it”: She stumbled upon her gift for art, and now uses it to point others to God

Monica Lim paced up and down in her home, worrying if her business would stay afloat.

It was 2020, and the Covid-19 pandemic was threatening to shutter the copywriting agency she had founded some 20 years earlier.

“Stop pacing and do something to distract yourself,” her daughter said, suggesting that she draw something.

Heeding her daughter’s advice, Monica dug out an old sketchbook and a set of markers which had been collecting dust on a shelf.

In her growing up years, and especially when she was in university, she had loved art. But she never seriously pursued the craft and eventually forgot about it after she started working.

When she finally remembered her passion some 30 years later during the pandemic, Monica decided to sketch some photos of her recent family holiday to Spain.

She did not know it then, but that would spark the beginning of an unexpected chapter in her life.

In the past six years since that day, Monica has painted more than 800 paintings, won art competitions and raised more than S$48,000 for charity through her art.

Yet she is clear of the purpose of her craft: Not to win accolades for herself, but to point people to God.

God’s hand of guidance

Monica, now 56, is clear of this purpose because it was God who gave her the gift of art, she said, marvelling at the accelerated way in which her art journey blossomed.

When she picked up those dusty markers again, she had no formal training in art. Yet, as she painted day after day, it was almost as if God’s hand was guiding hers.

Despite being an amateur and relying only on YouTube videos, she intuitively knew where and how to paint each stroke to make each artwork turn out beautifully. 

An artwork from Monica’s early days as an artist, when she was still unfamiliar with techniques.

“In so many instances, I felt like I didn’t know what I was doing, yet I would try something that miraculously worked,” she recounted.

“I found my skills improving exponentially, so much so that it felt unreal, even uncomfortable, because I couldn’t explain it. It was really God, because if you asked me to repeat the process, I couldn’t. It’s not like I knew the technique back then.

“All I knew was that I had a very strong sense God’s hand was guiding mine. I like to describe it thus: I paint and God breathes life into it.”

Not long after, Monica began winning art competitions. This surprised her as she had merely entered out of curiosity just to see where she stood.

When she won her first two awards, she thought it was a fluke. But then she began winning more awards, including one at the Artist Spotlight Solo competition in the United States, which saw her artworks being exhibited at an online gallery for an entire month.

One of Monica’s many artworks, which was featured in an American online gallery for an entire month.

“I was puzzled because I couldn’t understand why this was happening to me,” she said.

Monica wondered: Surely something this unusual should have a purpose and not just be for my own enjoyment?

As she pondered this question, she asked God to allow her art to open up avenues to share His love. “Honestly, I didn’t see how it was possible. I mean, how does art lead to God?” she asked.

But God was about to show her exactly how.

When art speaks

A year into her painting journey, Monica decided to start an Instagram account to showcase her art.

In just over a month, she gained 1,000 followers and found herself welcomed into an online community of artists.

As she interacted with them on Instagram, building friendships and chatting over their shared love for art, she had the opportunity to share her faith.

“I was astounded by the responses I received. I met many Christians who had either backslid, or were disillusioned by the behaviour of other Christians. Amazingly, they told me they were encouraged by my faith journey, which I sometimes casually shared in my Instagram posts,” she said.

“The testimony of my art made them more open to hearing about God because it was tangible evidence of God working in my life, not just a theoretical concept. Because they are artists, God speaking through art spoke directly to them in their lingo – that’s a powerful thing.”

A screenshot of Monica’s art account on Instagram (@artpandemicsg).

The more she painted, the more she discovered that God was using her art to encourage those who feel invisible and unseen.

“In quite a few instances, I’ve had an irrational urge to paint something, only to discover later that the painting spoke specifically to someone,” she said.

For example, last October, Monica came across a photo of a girl with a dog and felt instantly drawn to it.

Even though she disliked painting faces, she was prompted to replicate it in a painting. When the artwork was completed, a woman from her weekly women’s group came to mind. Monica felt a quiet nudge that this painting was meant for her.

Monica knew that the woman was walking through a hard season. Her dog, her one source of comfort, had recently died. Monica knew that her friend was grieving the love she had once received from her pet.

But Monica hesitated saying anything to the woman, uncertain if the nudge was from God, or simply her own knowledge of this woman’s pain. Instead, she hung the painting in her dining room, knowing the woman could see it each time they met in her home.

Months passed. When Monica decided to rotate the artworks in her home, she quietly messaged the woman to ask whether the painting of the girl and the dog had spoken to her at all.

The woman replied with a photo of her new dog. It was identical to the dog in her painting.

Her friend’s new dog pictured next to Monica’s painting.

Her friend explained that after her old dog died, her children had brought home a new one. However, afraid of being heartbroken again, she had resisted accepting it. Despite that, the dog grew close to her and would pine for her whenever she was away.

“This is the dog you didn’t want,” Monica told the woman, “but He loves you unconditionally anyway. That’s God’s love for you.”

Hearing that, the woman was brought to tears. The painting now serves as a reminder of God’s love for her.

Giving back

As she saw God move through her art, Monica felt moved to sell her paintings for charity.

“Since art is not a gift I asked for, I feel it can’t just be for my own enjoyment. It should be used to benefit others,” she said.

Even though she was reluctant to part with artworks that she had worked on for hours each, she prayed that the Lord would expand her heart for the needy and remove her attachment to her works.

This artwork was sold at a Salt&Light fundraiser event.

One of Monica’s artworks that was sold.

Another artwork, of flowers in a field, that was sold.

Within a month, she sold 21 pieces, raising almost S$2,500. While she initially set aside 20 per cent of the proceeds to cover costs, she now donates the full proceeds to charity.

Each year, she partners a charity by donating a selection of paintings to help them raise funds. She also supports girls through World Vision Singapore.

Portraits of the girls she supports through World Vision Singapore, bearing witness to faces that are often overlooked by the world.

To date, Monica has raised more than S$48,000 for various charities.

“It’s more than I could ever give on my own,” she said. “And this gift blesses me even more than it blesses others. It fills me with so much joy, fulfilling a part of me I never knew existed or needed.”

The ugly phase

Just as God had used her art to support and encourage others, there came a time when the process of creating it ministered deeply to her as well.

During a particularly low point in her life, art became her therapy. Even though she had no mood to paint, she felt prompted to get out of bed and pick up her brush. Focusing on her artwork helped to take her mind off her problems.

Then she heard God encourage her: “One day at a time, one painting at a time.”

“I knew what it meant,” said Monica. “Don’t have to think too far ahead. One day at a time. Just keep painting. Whenever I felt down or mopey, I painted.”

In those difficult six months, she painted more than 100 pieces.

While she was painting one day, feeling particularly downcast, she felt God say: “Trust the process.”

Immediately, she understood what He meant. As an artist is painting the piece, it often looks messy and unpromising. Artists sometimes call this “the ugly phase”, where the beauty of a piece is waiting to be revealed. 

One of Monica’s artworks when it was still in progress, known as “the ugly phase”.

“But if we’ve been painting for long enough, we know that’s the foundation of the painting, and that if we persevere and follow through with the steps, the painting will turn out well in the end.”

Monica sensed God speaking to her through that very process, asking her to trust Him – that just as a beautiful painting emerges in time, so too would He bring beauty out of her circumstances.

The final outcome of Monica’s artwork, which progressed from “the ugly phase” to a beautiful painting.

“God often speaks to me using the language of art,” she said. “He knows that’s my lingo.”

A willing heart

For all that has happened since she picked up the paintbrush again in 2020, Monica, who is still running her copywriting agency, gives full glory to God.

The only thing she has contributed, she said, is the willingness to say “yes”.

The willingness to try painting things she has never painted before. The willingness to get out of bed when life is hard. The willingness to give away paintings she has laboured over for hours. And ultimately, the willingness to surrender all things to God, who is charting her life’s journey with a loving hand.

For anyone who feels they have nothing to offer, Monica encouraged: “Everybody has gifts. Some are more visible, some are more hidden, but there is no such thing as no gifts.

“All it takes is a willing heart and the desire to put Him first.”

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The post “I paint, and God breathes life into it”: She stumbled upon her gift for art, and now uses it to point others to God appeared first on Salt&Light.