Hi! I’m Jaymee, and I love all things beautiful, noble, and true! My passion is to capture the beauty and power of the Gospel story through my work. That’s why I created A Sacred Garden, so welcome!
The mission of A Sacred Garden is to cultivate truth, purity and beauty in our hearts and in the hearts of our families. We seek to equip parents in training children in the Christian faith by providing inspirational art, writing, and resources.
My Story
When I was a junior in high school, God brought me on a spiritual journey as I struggled through an AP Studio Art course. Art was an outlet for me where I freely expressed myself. The workload, however, was demanding and I struggled to keep up trying to create two meaningful art projects a week. At the peak of my stress, combined with all other issues teenagers typically deal with (insecurities, self-image, diet), that’s where Jesus met me. Although I’ve been a Christian all my life, I met Him for the first time. This was when I understood that it was all about a relationship with Him and not about trying to live a perfect life. It was only He who could set me free from the burdens I carried silently all those teenage years; and it was only Him who could enable me to overcome the challenges I faced every day. My artwork changed from a depressing depiction of life to one of purpose and beauty. In the end, He enabled me to get a score of 5 on my portfolio from the AP Board, the highest score an artist can receive.
Years later, God would once again awaken my soul to an even deeper commitment to Him, and my life was forever changed. Everything was about Him now. It wasn’t about me. Even my relationship with my boyfriend then (who is my wonderful husband now) had to be surrendered to Him. Wherever God put me, I looked for ways to serve Him. I got involved with Campus Crusade for Christ in college and fell in love with international students. I had weekly lunches with them and helped practice their English, I led bible studies, I went to outreaches and on small missions. I almost signed up to be a missionary for Cru. But God called me home.
There was a point in my life when I had to choose between a career and a life at home with my children. He asked me to surrender my dreams to have a prestigious career so I can be a missionary to my family. My mission at home is greater than any ministry that I can get involved in. My children are my greatest masterpiece. They are my life’s work. And this is where my passion to encourage parents and families extends from. I believe God is bringing our attention back to our homes where God’s Word is prioritized, studied, and implemented. I believe home is where we should cultivate Truth, purity and beauty.
In the summer of 2021, my family felt the call of God to move our entire family from California to Tennessee in three short months. Read about it here. We had left everything behind, including our huge beloved extended family, to move to a state where we knew no one. In spite of hardships, we experienced God’s faithfulness through it all. In fact, it was in the midst of this uncertainty while we were trying to find our place in Tennessee when we began planning A Sacred Garden.
What Does A Sacred Garden Mean?
Why A Sacred Garden? In her book, The Secret Garden, Francis Hodgson Burnett writes the story of a little girl named Mary Lennox who stumbles upon a forgotten and neglected secret garden. By her own hard work and determination, she plants new seeds and slowly brings the garden back to life. In time, the garden’s beauty is restored, but she is not hasty to share it with the outside world. In fact, she is determined to keep it a secret, only allowing her most trusted friends in.
I love this story. I admire it because this garden is a reflection of our inner lives as well as our families’. In the Bible, Solomon’s bride is described as a “garden locked up,” and “a sealed fountain, a spring enclosed” (Song of Solomon 4:12). It is understood that the bride is the Body of Christ, God’s people. In other words, we are God’s secret garden. He revives us and makes us alive again, restoring our beauty, and filling us with new life. It is our sacred duty to diligently guard the doors to our garden, absolutely refusing the outside world to pollute it. What is more, as a parent, I am called to be the guardian of my children’s garden, their inner lives. It’s my calling to cultivate and plant seeds of faith in their lives, and I am to be their valiant protector as they grow and develop in their faith. My hope is that A Sacred Garden will be a source of encouragement to others as we embark upon this journey in cultivating truth, beauty, and purity in our children for His glory!
