Love Letters from Heaven: When a Painting Becomes a Prophecy

I’m teaching an in-person workshop called “Underwater Mixed Media” here at home base in Florida. I’m talking with one of the students about her painting and giving some direction. She is a Mastery Program student and getting close to graduating.

She shared her portfolio with me and told me that she has an opportunity with a Sonoma vineyard and will have an art show with some of her portfolio pieces. Her art is very unique and almost quirky in a very delightful way. Her style is eclectic, mixing a graphic modern figurative style with some expressiveness, pattern, and texture. Now, in this class, she is painting a mermaid with fuchsia hair, underwater with a colorful reef around her.

I see a big smile spread across her face as she tells me she wants to buy my turtle painting she saw last night in the gallery. I feel terrible for a second because I know I will have to disappoint her.

“I’m so sorry, but that painting sold last night after you left.”

“What!? Oh no! I wasn't fast enough. I wanted to ask my husband first, so I wasn't quite ready last night.” She looked really disappointed.

“You know, I do have a painting on my easel I am finishing, but it is two turtles in one picture instead of just one, so it’s a little different, and it’s a vertical rectangle instead of a square. Do you want to see it?” I ask.

“Yes! Show me. I would love to see it.”

I pull out my phone, start looking for the painting, and say, “Okay, it’s kind of in the ugly stage, so you have to have a little vision, but you will get the idea on composition and color.” I hope she likes it and feels connected to it even though there are two turtles in the painting rather than just one.

“Oh yeah, I like it. I like the idea of two turtles,” she says.

“Maybe it’s you and your husband, living your best life!” I say.

“I want to talk with my husband about this before I give you my final answer, since the painting he agreed to just sold,” she says.

“Yeah, I get it. No problem. You can let me know tomorrow.”

The Mystery of the Marigolds

I painted an octopus underwater a while back and got a vision of glowing marigolds floating underwater, contrasting in color with all of the blue. As I was painting, I felt compelled to understand why I was painting the marigolds.

With the octopus, the marigolds symbolized protection against unwanted pests, as they are used in gardens to repel pests but attract pollinators. The octopus painting symbolized the balance between multitasking and making it all happen while not getting distracted by shiny objects and taking on too much. For the turtle paintings, though, the marigolds began to take on a whole new meaning.

Marigolds hold a deep cultural significance in many parts of the world as a symbol of connection between life and death. In Aztec and Mexican culture, marigolds are believed to guide departed souls to the eternal feast table. I particularly liked the juxtaposition of turtles, which are known to have long lives, with the gloriously colorful flower that is associated with death. I didn't fully know why I was adding these glowing little buds to my underwater paintings. I just knew I felt compelled to do so.

A Divine Surprise

The next day in the workshop, when I’m talking with the student again, she joyfully tells me that she talked with her husband and they are buying the painting. She felt like it was meant for her.

She explains, “I have had too many experiences with death in the last few years, and I know life can be unpredictable, so I usually don't hesitate anymore. When me and my husband want something or to do something, we just do it. I don't want to miss out. So it wasn't like me to hesitate on the painting the other night at the gallery, but I’m glad I did, because this painting with the two turtles….” She abruptly stops speaking, covers her mouth with her hands, and with eyes full of tears, quickly walks a few steps away from me.

I don't know what to do or what to say, so I just stand there. I can see she is crying and needs a few minutes. After some time, she walks back to me, wiping her cheeks and patting her eyes with her fingers.

“I’m sorry. I have to explain. My son would randomly just say ‘turtle’ for no reason. It was his quirky thing he just did. I have three sons. During the pandemic, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and lost two of my sons…all within four and a half months.”

I am shocked. How could this be? I think she saw my face trying to process what she just told me, and she begins to explain.

“I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and three months later the son who would randomly say ‘turtle,’ took his life. My oldest son also had cancer, and for three months we went through treatment together. My oldest son died of cancer one month after we lost my younger son. But God has been my rock and has preserved my life.”

I am utterly struck. I cannot believe how this woman can be so positive and joyful. From the moment she came to this workshop, she has been a shining light, encouraging everyone around her. She always has a smile on her face and is incredibly genuine and authentically loving.

“How can you be so strong?” is all I manage to ask.

“It’s God. He is my joy and my strength, and I refuse to let the enemy steal my faith and joy! He thought he was going to kill me too, but God has kept me.”

“I feel so honored and overwhelmed, honestly, that this painting I have been painting is yours. It is like God had it planned all along and knew it belonged to you. It’s a kiss from heaven to show you that not only has God kept you, but he keeps your boys as well. I’m so sorry for all that you have been through.”

I feel so connected to this student and true admiration for her amazing attitude and openness toward me. I watch her wipe her tears, her face radiant with peace, and suddenly the whole room feels different—holy almost. The air feels heavy with meaning.

When Paint Becomes Prophecy

I understood, in that instant, that the art we make isn’t ours to keep. It’s a message, sent ahead of us, to someone who needs it most. I realized the painting was never really about turtles or marigolds—it was about endurance. About life pushing through loss. I felt a stillness settle in my heart, a knowing that sometimes God paints through us long before we understand why.

I titled the painting “Forever Enduring Love” and enthusiastically sent it to California to this artist’s home. She sent me a picture of where she hung it and could pass by it every day. I texted her recently and asked her if she ever looked up the meaning of the marigolds. I wanted to know what she understood from them. This is her response:

No I hadn’t, but I just did and WOW!! God is so good!!!! I’m in tears now! The significance is spot on to the story of your turtle painting and why I was drawn to it so powerfully… here’s what ChatGPT gave me… “The cyclical nature of existence- bright bloom and inevitable fading, yet always returning” … bold resilience… Their fiery, orange and golden tones, reflect a woman's inner strength, confidence, and warmth. They’re unapologetically vibrant, like your strong yet gentle feminine archetypes.” 🙏😍 You are a prophetic artist. Painting past the pain and into the future. God’s hand is guiding yours Elli!!

Art That Heals the World

As artists we paint what we love or are interested in painting. We love a challenge. We are moved by color, light, pattern, form. We often paint for ourselves and our own salvation. We receive healing and restoration as we create. We connect with the Divine Hand that pulls us deeper into the realm of poetry and prophecy. We find our purpose and bring the far things near as ambassadors of light and virtue. We sit in our seat of Beauty and function as co-imagineers of the future.

Yet this is only part of what is happening. There are collectors, patrons, and art lovers out there living life, overcoming the brutality of the pain they must endure. Walking through sorrow, disappointments, and frustration. Treading on the shards of injustice and coping with the aftermath. There are wars, disease, and misfortune. There is loss, hardship, and failure.

What we paint is a portal of hope, a tower of weapons and battlements, and a vanguard declaring victory. We paint an open heaven and source of solace. Our paintings are love letters from the Divine that bring needed comfort and peace. Never let up, and never disregard the significance of what you paint. It is life changing, and it is dawning the epoch of a whole new world.

Have you ever felt that a painting, song, or story was meant for you?

Share your story in the comments below!