I Shall Not Want

Green Pastures Collection

Artist: Kelly Pelfrey

Dimensions: 8" x 10" x 3/4"

Medium: Acrylic

Surface: Canvas

From the artist:

My kindergarten class recited Psalm 23 as part of our graduation ceremony.  All of the little girls wore dainty white dresses and held small bouquets of flowers as we marched down the aisle of the Episcopal Church.  Once home, my parents recorded for posterity (with an awesome giant camcorder) me declaring these words.  (Please imagine “my” as “myyyyyy” with the most Southern drawl, longest “i sound” possible). 

 “The Lord is my shepherd;

I shall not want.  

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.  

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil,

for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

When I see that video, I laugh at the severity of my accent at that time, but I also marvel at where the Lord has brought me. That little five-year-old loved to draw, and she knew that Jesus loved her because the Bible told her so.  But, she did not know the life that lay ahead.  There was a lot of grief to come.  Many valleys that included losing children, divorce, many heartaches from her own sin and the everyday strains of life on planet earth.  She also had no clue about the extreme joys she would experience: the births of four amazing children, the marriage to the man her soul loves, the friendships, the sweet mornings alone with the Lord.  She didn’t know that her dream of being an artist would become a reality, and she had no idea what the path would look like on the way.  And yet, …the words were true.  Each utterance from that little voice has not changed. 

I created these paintings in a season of transition, from my teaching career, to being an artist and mother, full-time.  Most of the scenes came from views that I would see in my rural commute between home and work.  They are reminders of provision and of truth.  And my sincere prayer is that they will be a blessing to you.