ColorCraze artist, Chrisy Birkelbach, opens up about faith, family and her art
Introducing…
This month I’m highlighting close friend and talented artist, Chrisy Birkelbach. I’ve known Chrisy for a little over ten years now, but we didn’t start out as friends. In fact, we were the furthest thing from it when she and my ex-husband got married. However, after years of head butting and misunderstood intentions, God’s grace entered into our lives and changed everything for the better.
While the juicy details of our unlikely friendship and the exciting launch of Chrisy’s new ColorCraze art business are both intriguing, it is the story of her personal transformation that is most inspiring. To better understand the degree in which her life has changed, it’s necessary to start with her background.
Growing up, Chrisy’s parents struggled financially. As a result, she contributes a large part of her upbringing to her grandparents who paid for her to attend a K-8 parochial school. This gave Chrisy a foundation of faith in her younger years, but until recently, that faith had been subdued. During my interview with Chrisy, she explained that in both her first and current marriage, she allowed her spouse’s negative perceptions about religion to stifle her own beliefs about God. As a result, she didn’t go to church, read the Bible or do anything else to help her grow in relationship with God and in her faith. Although she kept silent about her faith for years, Chrisy shared, “I knew God was still there even though I wasn’t acting on my faith.”
The Spark
Little did I know, the multitude of discussions, texts and emails between Chrisy and I during the last couple years had sparked a gradual spiritual curiosity within her. Occasionally, I’d share a motivational story that had an undertone of God’s grace or biblical reference imbedded within, or I’d offer a verse from the Bible as encouragement. I would listen with compassion, empathy and non-judgement. This was all done cautiously because her husband (who at the time believed I was a “Jesus Freak”) still had significant reservations about God and organized religion.
Then, I did the unthinkable…I invited her to church! And she came! After church, Chrisy began asking more faith-based questions and sharing more about her own faith background. A week later, I felt the urge (I believe it was a “God nudge”) to give Chrisy a book of devotions by Sarah Young that I had just completed.
I offered her the book of devotions and explained how it had helped me. I told her she was free to keep it or pass it on to someone else. Shortly after, she told me she kept it and had been reading it daily. I was excited to hear that. Later on during our interview, however, I nearly fell over in amazement when she shared the experience she had after receiving the book!
Turning Point
Chrisy went on to explain that two weeks after getting the book, she was sitting on the floor in her art studio and asked God for His forgiveness. She said, “I talked to Him about everything that happened in my life. I knew I hadn’t been leading a God inspired life in the sense that I wasn’t being open about my faith and it had fallen by the wayside.”
After asking God for forgiveness, Chrisy stated very emotionally, “I literally felt like I was being hugged. I felt his presence – and I just kept talking to Him and crying.”
No Longer Silent
Chrisy admitted that prior to this experience in her art studio, she was afraid to leave out the book of devotions because she anticipated a negative reaction from her husband. One day, however, she got the courage to show it to him and she braced herself for his comment, “You’re not going to be a Jesus Freak too are you?”
To which she courageously replied, “Yes I am!”
Since this experience, Chrisy said her faith has grown. She described the change in her faith in the following way, “previously it [my faith] was that which came with being a child. It was different than the faith I have now – now I have a living faith!
Chrisy certainly lives out her faith. She intentionally seeks out a relationship with Jesus and does everything she can to keep it strong. Now, she reads multiple devotions daily, reads the Bible, reads a variety of books by Christian authors, talks with Jesus throughout the day, uses a prayer journal, attends church or watches online when she can’t physically be present, and listens to Christian music.
Additionally, Chrisy has developed a heavy reliance on God’s guidance when making decisions and has become devoted to spreading the message of Jesus’ love to others. She confided, “Before I felt I was forsaking God by not saying what I believed, but I’ve made the decision to no longer keep my faith inside me. Now I feel more like a little kid – happy go lucky, lighter and full of joy!”
Chain Reaction
Chrisy realizes that people have to develop their relationship with Jesus in their own way, in their own time, so she didn’t push her husband. However, she prayed relentlessly for his heart to soften and to be open to a relationship with God; and in less than a year, her prayers were answered. Her husband now devotes time daily to prayer and reads devotions. He put his trust in the Lord, left a toxic employment situation and is currently growing his own business.
Together, they now advocate for their children (four total within their blended marriage) to evaluate their relationship with God, and encourage them to be more intentional about developing their faith. They continue to support them, as well as other family and friends, through consistent prayer and shared devotions.
While this all sounds wonderful, Chrisy and her husband have experienced their fair share of ups and downs. But even though their lives may not be perfect, Chrisy exclaimed, “We’ve never been happier!”
God-Inspired Art
Artists are known for being their own worst critics, and Chrisy is no exception. She spends countless hours perfecting her paintings, and often the things she views as flawed, turn out to be her patrons’ favorite trait in her pieces. Nevertheless, picking apart her paintings in negative fashion had become somewhat of an obstacle keeping her from fully enjoying her finished work.
That all changed, however, one day in her art studio when she leaned into Jesus. She was unsure of what to do next on a new painting she had started, and she surrendered to His lead, “I just need you to help me. Let’s make something beautiful together.”
Before she knew it, she was painting with pure unexplainable joy! When she was done, she heard a voice tell her, “Don’t pick at it- just see it.” When she looked at the finished painting, she “saw it for what it was, and it was beautiful!”
When Chrisy invited the Holy Spirit into her life, God transformed her; and the ripple effect continues to transform the lives around her. When she invited the Holy Spirit into her work, God not only fueled her passion for art, but He removed the obstacles that were blocking her view of the beauty right in front of her.
To view more of Chrisy’s art, follow her on Facebook by clicking on the link below: