Mattie Karr
In our little Catholic Kansas family, I think everything really started when I was 10 years old. The Disney version of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe had just been released and after reading the books, we watched the movie as a family. What happened in that dark theater was little less than God wooing my heart.
Narnia taught me two things: life with Christ would be a wonderful adventure, and when I grew up I was going to make movies. In high school I started making short films and even won a few student competitions! By the time I got to the University of Kansas, I was double majoring in Film and Illustration and had my heart set on moving to Los Angeles.
But adventures with God are never straightforward. After graduating, I stayed in my hometown of Kansas City working in business development and sales. I felt like my life was on pause, but God was inviting me to go on an inner healing journey.
You see, even though I was committed to living my life for Christ, I didn’t know a lot of people my age who were on the same path. I was lonely and most of the time felt like a pariah in my social circles. Even in Catholic communities, I thought that the only way I would stay relevant is if I was evangelizing and volunteering for every opportunity. I believed that love was contingent on what I did. Unfortunately this lie left me burnt out, resentful, and even more loveless. I needed Jesus’ healing. Through counseling and retreats like Healing the Whole Person, Living Waters, and Encounter Ministries, He healed me through His broken Body, the Church.
A few years into this healing journey, I attended a Summer Intensive with Encounter School of Ministry where they opened a whole new world of possibility! They told me that I could tell broken bones to heal in Jesus’ name - and they would heal! Many people prophesied over me that God was calling me to things that I was afraid of, and He would be my Shepherd. Another person told me my gifts and talents were a “pleasing fragrance” to the Lord. Though I was successful in sales, I never lost that desire to work in a creative field. I got curious and asked God “if you did want me to quit my job, when would you want me to do it?.” I was shocked when I heard Him say “next Thursday.”
After a weekend of stepping out in faith to pray for others and witnessing other signs that Jesus had my back, I quit my job that Thursday to pursue being a full time sacred artist and “help Jesus heal hearts through beauty”. It has been 4 years since that call and through the ups and downs of self employment, I have seen God work miracles through my artwork and my very hands! I’m able to receive abundant love from God and the people He’s put in my life, and when I’m tempted to earn it, they’re quick to remind me that I am a “human being” and not a “human doing.” I really feel like the luckiest girl in the world and am so grateful that I never achieved my Hollywood dreams…yet:)