This painting is meant to signify an old shield and sword that have been left in the dirt after a battle. Sometimes we throw our weapons down or we lose grip of them after a fight, but we need to remember that God continuously calls us to pick them back up. This is why there are three butterflies surrounding the shield. They represent the Holy Trinity. No matter how long we leave our weapons on the ground, God will always remain near and remind us to keep picking up our shields and swords. When we do this, we can remain faithful in his victory every day.

This piece displays the shield of faith and the sword of the spirit. In the painting, the shield and sword are actual objects that we can use to win battles. In Ephesians, the shield represents our faith and the sword represents the Word. I picked these two from the passage to signify our journey of using them and continuing to pick them up to fight our battles.

My boyfriend, Jaeden, helped me come up with the setting and composition of this painting. He originally suggested painting a breastplate that was stuck in the dirt. Then he suggested painting three butterflies, which I thought was a beautiful addition. I used his idea by changing a few details.