John 15:20

John 15:20 is a verse that I carry with me daily—literally. It is tattooed on my arm and reminds me to walk in faith no matter what people say.

The project reflects the way Christ dies on the cross while those who followed Him and loved Him stood by and watched. Not only that, but it speaks to how those who said they believed in Him turned their backs on Him, stated He was doing the devil's work, He was not the Son of God, was pushed out of His city, and persecuted in spite of all of the miracles, wonders, teaching and feeding He had done. He was the Son of God without sin and yet, He was treated less than a man or even an animal. He was talked about in the most negative ways even though He came to save everyone—even those who persecuted, beat, and "murdered" Him.

The painting depicts a priest who went against Jesus, and under it exclaims the different mean/hurtful things those of the world (and sometimes in the church) say to people. Here specifically it calls out some words, phrases, and different social media platforms that are used to tear down people. It includes symbols of organizations who proclaimed they loved Christ but did not fulfill the work of Jesus. As Christ explained, if "they" persecuted me, "they" will persecute you also. People around the world of different backgrounds, economic statuses, weight, ethnicities, that are followers of Christ are depicted at the bottom of the portrait carrying the heart of Christ. He shines down on the world and enters the hearts of those who welcome Him. The portrait shows even when Christ's followers have an abundance of hate being thrown at them they carry the fruit of the spirit to withstand it and show they are in the world but not of it.