Akiane’s angel, drawn when Akiane was four years old
“Today I met God,” (A four-year-old girl whispered to her mother one morning).
“What is God?” (The atheist mother was stunned.)
“God is light—warm and good. It knows everything and talks with me. It is my parent.”
“Tell me more about your dream.” (The mother felt concerned. To her the word, “God,” sounded absurd and primitive.)
“It was not a dream. It was real!”
“Why did you think it was God?”
“Just like I know you are my mommy, and you know I am Akiane.”[1]
Oprah’s favorite, “The Planted Eyes,” was painted when Akiane was eight years old.
* * * * *
Akiane was born in a shack in Illinois, into an impoverished Lithuanian family. Her name means “Ocean” in Russian. In her childhood, she became a world-renown artist with paintings that sold for $100,000. Also honored as a celebrated poet, she appeared on Oprah’s show. All this by age ten.
Akiane with her brother
She had no formal art training and was homeschooled. Growing up, her brothers were her only friends. The family didn’t own a TV. Her parents were atheists and never talked about religion. How did she find out?
From God, Himself!
When Akiane was ten, The Museum of Religious Art in Iowa invited her to have an exhibition that her mother later said, “proved to be an unforgettable event.”
Questions from viewers came at her from all directions:
“‘What church do you belong to? What denomination?’ someone from the crowd asked loudly.
‘I belong to God,” Akiane responded.
‘I am a Buddhist.’ (said another) ‘You called Jesus the ‘Prince of Peace,’ yet in His name so many people were massacred. How do you explain that?’
(Remember, Akiane is TEN-years old at the time!)
One of Akiane’s paintings of Jesus when she was 9
‘Jesus is peace, just like calm water. But anyone can drop a stone into water and make it muddy,’ (she replied).
‘Why did you choose Christianity instead of another religion?’ (someone asked).
‘I didn’t choose Christianity; I chose Jesus Christ. I am painting and writing what God shows me. I don’t know much about the religions, but I know this: God looks at our love.’
‘What message do you want people to get from your art and poetry?’
‘I want my art to draw people’s attention to God,’ (said Akiane), ‘and I want my poetry to keep their attention on God.’”
* * * * *
“Behold, I and the children whom the Lord has given me are for signs and wonders…” Isaiah 8:18 (One of 21 references for “signs and wonders” in the Bible).
Clearly, God uses children because who can contest a story like this? Her art, her poetry, her testimony of supernatural things! If she were an adult—some would believe she had an agenda. We are jaded by scams in our world. But four-year-old Akiane unraveled even hardened atheists. Her parents are now followers of Christ!
The 19th-century church historian Adolf Harnack, in his Mission and Expansion of Christianity, explored the miraculous side of church history. Christianity Today included his writing in an article. This paragraph caught my eye:
“Some perceive the presence of the Spirit with every sense; they see its brilliant light, they hear its voice, they smell the fragrance of immortality and taste its sweetness. Nay more; they see celestial persons with their own eyes, see them and also hear them; they peer into what is hidden or distant or to come; they are even rapt into the world to come, into heaven itself, where they listen to ‘words that cannot be uttered.’”
Harnack’s phrases describe Akiane and the wonder of her art and poetry, precisely.
Here’s one more example: Who knew the heavens actually looked like this until photos came back from the Hubble Space Telescope?
A photo from the Hubble Spacecraft
Akiane’s painting of “The Creation” at age 10
Akiane is truly a sign and a wonder—but there is one downside to her story. Some believe that you have to be “special” like Akiane, to hear from God.
And that is simply not true!
Do you carry that false belief? Tell me what you think…
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[1] akiane: her life, her art, her poetry, by Akiane and Foreli Kramarik. All references and quotes regarding Akiane come from this book. I highly recommend it!
Beautiful Susan. Yes…we can ALL hear His voice…the ground in front of the cross is level…the same blood that bought Akiane bought you and I. 🙂 He loves to speak to His children.
The story is incredible. May there be more children like this – adults too. I find it hard to believe I am special. I think many of us do. To believe that God wants ME for myself. That he has time and thoughts just for me alone. Just to believe he is a Father. My hope is like this little girl, one day I will KNOW.
As I wrote this, my son, out of the blue, came up to me, put his arms around me and said , ‘I love you. Don’t be afraid.’ Out of the mouth of babes!
Nicola… How timely–with your son and all! Is it odd or is it God! I hear His voice in those words… Susan
this rather sews it up, wouldn’t you say!
thank you for shedding more light on the story of the child whom i’d read about and forgotten. makes me want to share it with the whole wide world. i mean REALLY now………could anyone call the story coincidence? would love to listen in on that attempt, wouldn’t you?
love,
suzee B
My brother’s friend, Aaron, was in church. He saw a scene play out before his closed eyes. A village and its people were in danger. A large ball of fire appeared and out of it walked a man who spoke one word, Darfur. He had no idea what the word meant and didn’t realize it to be a geographical location.
Through miraculous circumstances he and my brother began mission trips. A few years later, Aaron’s mother, a pastor’s wife, passed away. After her death he remembered her talking about a book she read, Heaven Is for Real, and about Jesus looking like the painting of a child done many years previous. Aaron looked up the painting and was stunned. It was the same man from the fire who spoke the word Darfur.
Leah~! That is absolutely amazing! Thanks for commenting!