NOT FINISHED YET: Trusting God with All My Feelings

By Sharon Garlough Brown. Illustrated by Jessica Linn Evans Published by InterVarsity Press

Themes: Children’s Christian Fiction, Prayer, Family Relationships

The story begins…

Behind an old farmhouse in Australia,

In the shade of the tall gum trees,

Stood a little shed. Gran called it

Her art studio. Pop called it a mess.

Wren called it wonderful.

Wren loves her time in the shed with her artistic grandmother. Sometimes they paint flowers and trees but other times they paint their feelings. They call this “painting prayers.”

Wren hesitates, what color should she use first? Colors can express feelings. First a squiggle which means “Dear God.”  As Wren reflects on her day, she paints the pinks and purples of the morning sunrise. Then she adds blue for the cover of her latest library book, and brown for warm molasses cookies. But the brown swirls muddy her painting, frustrating Wren. She decides her painting is too ugly to be a prayer. “It’s ruined,” she says.

Gran encourages her to give the title the painting and Wren realizes that “Disappointed” sums it up.

As she tries to add beauty to the canvas, she thinks about things that hurt – being teased, the death of a lamb, and being left out. Other emotions surface – embarrassment, sadness, anger. She shares that sometimes she’s even disappointed with God.

With gentle words, Gran lets her know that she is brave and honest. God understands how she feels. Wren works through her emotions and paints a heart-filled, prayerful painting.

Here are 6 things I love about NOT FINISHED YET:

1. The relationship between Wren and Gran is loving and warm. They both are artistic and Gran is a wonderful encourager.
2. The story acknowledges that things don’t always go right. Days are filled with both good and difficult things. It is important to recognize different feelings.
3. The illustrations are beautiful. Swirls of color and characters with emotional depth. Van Gogh’s art is featured throughout the pages. This book makes me want to pick up a paintbrush.
4. Most importantly, the story shows that there are different ways to pray and that God cares about the details of our lives.
5. The author’s note speaks about different types of prayer that are written in the Psalms, including prayers of lament. No prayer is too large or small for God and prayer brings us comfort and hope.
6. I love the message – God’s not finished with us yet!

I recommend this book for families and caregivers. Add this one to your home, class, or church library. Summer vacation is here so get out some art supplies and spend time with the children in your lives painting prayers.

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-Claire Noland