CHILD PRODIGY IN THE ART GALLERY
When she was four years old, Illinois native Akiane Kramarik began receiving visions from God encouraging her to begin expressing herself through visual media such as sketching and painting. This certainly surprised her parents, both atheists. When Akiane was eight she confounded the art world by producing a large oil painting of Jesus looking right at the viewer. The painting, Prince of Peace, displays a mastery of composition, light, and oil painting technique that few adults—much less second graders—ever achieve. By age twelve, Akiane’s portfolio included more than sixty works, selling many for thousands of dollars, including one hanging in the US Embassy in Singapore. Now in her thirties, she continues to paint, and she has also published books of her poetry. Akiane’s works are filled with “colorful dreams and visions about heaven, Jesus, and God’s amazing love.”
CHILD PRODIGY IN THE TEMPLE COURTS
When Jesus was twelve, He was separated from His parents during a trip to Jerusalem for Passover. Mary and Joseph thought that Jesus was somewhere in their large caravan heading back toward Nazareth, after the festival. But when they realized that they have somehow “lost” the Son of God, they raced back to Jerusalem to search for Him. They finally found Jesus in the temple courts, amazing the learned teachers of the Law with His understanding of the things of God.
Questions
- Who is a child prodigy you know of?
- When have you or someone else been surprised to the point of shock, fear, or awe?
- How would you have felt if you had been Mary of Joseph in this story?
