Editor’s note: This article discusses child loss, death, and drowning. Reader discretion is advised.
Twelve years ago, Jenedy Paige’s three-year-old son passed away soon after a tragic drowning accident.
“I kept asking this question, ‘Do accidents just happen?’” Jenedy shared recently in a video for the Church. “But every time that I went to that, … God would take me to Matthew 10:29–31, where Christ says, ‘Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.’”
An image of capable hands catching a sparrow kept coming to her mind and her heart, and she knew she needed to capture the concept in a painting. But it wasn’t until over a decade later that she felt her artistic skills developed enough to be able to share the story sufficiently.
Initially, as she started the painting, she envisioned the sparrow as her son, with the Lord’s hands catching him. The more she added layers, however, the more she felt prompted to think about how He was there in her falls.
“I have the privilege now of looking back over the past 12 years and seeing all the ways that the Lord saved me, that He caught me, and that the Atonement of His Son Jesus Christ really does work in our lives to help heal the deepest of wounds,” she says.
Her painting process involves a unique scraping technique with a razor blade, allowing her to create depth and layers without building texture. This method is symbolic of how the Lord can use the painful, refining moments of our lives to “provide a fresh place to build from,” as Jenedy describes it.
Grief comes in waves, and Jenedy often felt like she was falling again with each new reminder of her loss. “What’s so beautiful though is that in all of those moments of grief that come back, I feel God is there to catch me in them—over and over again,” she says.
The hands in the painting took at least three layers, and Jenedy spent almost two hours per layer on each finger. Thinking about God’s capable hands inspired her to think about how we can act as His hands too, helping catch others in their difficult moments.
Many people have deeply resonated with Jenedy’s art. A couple of commenters wrote:
“I love the symbolism of the bird falling from a place of dark and shadow into light. Thank you for sharing your story of faith.”
“I’m so impressed at the ability people have to give themselves to the healing light of Jesus Christ. Jenedy is a beautiful example of how to let the pain work to bring a higher good as we focus faith in Him. Jenedy, I’m so sorry for your loss but equally in awe of the healing gift, now magnified, and radiating to heal and bless others. That’s the miracle!”
“Your message was an answer to my prayers. Today you were His hands. Thank you!”
Watch the video below to hear more about Jenedy’s experience creating this painting.
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