I put a lot of thought into choosing a name for my little painting business in 2018. The obvious meaning literally describes what I do: I pour paint out of a cup to create art. It’s messy, it’s beautiful, and it’s a lot of fun. But there is so much more behind the literal name. 

I am a Christ follower. The Bible tells us that Jesus poured out his blood to save us from our sins. (“for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26:28 ESV). We are covered by His pouring out of Himself, and for those who believe, are saved by His pouring. 

The name Poured Out turned out to be more apt than I could have ever imagined. In March 2021, my life forever changed. I went from being a busy wife and stay at home “Pinterest mom” of two spunky kids, to a childless widow trying to figure out how to navigate life by myself in the wake of a tragic accident. Suddenly, I had an abundance of time, but I needed to decide how I wanted to fill all that time. Poured Out Art started before the accident, but took on new meaning and became a way to support myself as well as fill my time in the months and years since.  

Since the accident, I have been daily learning what it means to be poured out/emptied of myself and filled to overflowing with the overwhelming peace, joy, and hope that only comes from God. It defies our logic and understanding, but that’s God. The Bible says: “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus 3:4-7 ESV