My Visual, Spiritual History

Today for our housechurch, we did something different.  We used a tool that I discovered through my integration of psychology and theology class called an ecogram.  An ecogram outlines one's spiritual history and present spiritual influences.  

Above, I have pictured my ecogram.  

For my early life, I included a nice-looking house, a picket fence, and a wash basin.  When I as growing up, it was a life that looked perfect on the outside and emphasized unobtainable perfection on the inside.  The red paint outlining these photos that I cut from magazines shows that things are not always what they appear on the outside.  

On the other side of my ecogram, I pictured photos that reminded me of trial.  A forest fire, a winding road, a bridge suspended high above the ground.  I also included an iron gate and another wash basin.  These depict my emotional state and my spiritual state, again relying on unobtainable perfection that locked me in.  I painted a yellow border around these pictures, to show God was working in all of this hurt.  

At the top of my project, I included books.  Study has always been a release for me.  

At the bottom, I pasted a photo of a woman painting a wall.  To me, this stands for growth and change.  

I connected my pictures with a wooden ladder or bridge.  

In the midst of everything are the words "God" and "Me."  

This is my spiritual history.  I plan to hang it as a reminder of God's work in my life.