I emailed the artist who painted this breathtaking picture to ask if I could use it on the front cover of my book, Angel in My Room.

THE ANGEL – Copyright (c) 2005 by Akiane Kramarik (age 10) Art Akiane LLC. All rights reserved. For more information, please visit artakiane.com

Her response:

Ok, let me hurry and get to my point before I lose your interest. I made a polite response back never expecting to hear anything else from Akiane, but surprisingly either Akiane herself or the administrator of her website wrote back after reading my response and said I could use the picture INSIDE the book. So my first point is never underestimate what being polite can do, and my main point is never underestimate what God can do.

You see, Akiane was only 10 years old when she painted that picture. She is a world-renowned child prodigy. Excerpts from her website describes her thusly:

• No other known child art prodigy has ever created at the level of such sophistication as Akiane. As the world’s most successful visual art child prodigy, Akiane was inducted into the Richest Kids-Entrepreneurs of America, the Kids Hall Of Fame, and World Council for Gifted and Talented Children. “My sight cannot wait for me”, Akiane’s first original painting was sold for $10,000 USD when she was only eight.

• Featured on hundreds of media outlets, documentaries and television & radio shows such as such as Oprah Winfrey Show, Katie Couric Show, World News Tonight, Good Morning America, Glen Beck Show/CNN, The View, Fox News, Montel Williams Show, Late Late Show, Lou Dobbs Show/CNN, Hour of Power, “Super Human Genius”, “Indigo Evolution”, “Miracle Detectives”, “Extreme Prophetic”, TBN (Trinity Broadcast Network). Supreme Master Television, Stilius/LTV/EU, Japanese TV Super kids, Studio 10/Network Ten & Sunrise/Seven Network (Australia), and numerous others.

• Top media coverage in Australia, China, Brazil, Japan, Korea, Russia, Ireland, England, Scotland, Netherlands, France, Hungary, Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Canada, Middle East and Norway.

• Almost 450 million visitors on Akiane Gallery  www.akiane.com over a span of a decade.

• Born on July 9th, 1994 in a shack on the edge of a cornfield in Mt. Morris, Illinois, USA. Attributes her talent and success to diligent work ethics, self-education, solid family support, and cultural & spiritual factors.

The accolades are too numerous to mention here. I encourage you to visit her website for more information, akiane.com

Now let’s go back to the first sentence of this post: I emailed the artist who painted this breathtaking picture to ask if I could use it on the front cover of my book, Angel in My Room. Yes, I clicked the “contact” button on her website and actually had the nerves to ask if I could use THIS magnificent picture on my book cover! What was I thinking? I already knew how famous this child and her paintings were as well as how very rare such a young prodigy like this is. (She was 16 when I originally made this inquiry back in April 2011, but keep in mind she painted the picture at age 10.) It was like asking Elvis if you could borrow his pink Cadillac to go out on a date!

Have you ever done something so ridiculous (and perhaps even embarrassing) that when you reflect on it later, you wonder where you ever got the idea or the nerves to do it? Sure, it was a simple “contact us” inquiry, so no harm done. No one would have ever known I sent the message except her website administrator. Honestly, I think Akiane herself replied to my inquiry. Anyway, I could have just accepted her polite ‘no’ and deleted her email. Instead my email response back to Akiane after she initially said ‘no’ went like this:

To my astonishment, I got another response back. Even though I could not use her painting for the book cover, The Akiane Gallery graciously allowed me to use the picture INSIDE the book even though I didn’t ask to do so. When they would not allow it for the front cover, I just made a courteous response back and thought that was the end of it. I never expected them to send another reply back because they had already told me ‘no’. However, I was pleasantly surprised to read the next email. 

We continued exchanging emails, and I proceeded to ask if I could use that spectacular image on my website as well. She graciously allowed me to do so. I’ll spare you the details of the other back and forth emails, but suffice it to say we had a very cordial exchange. Obtaining permission to use this stunning copyrighted image inside my book and on my website LEGALLY at no cost is truly a big deal. Those such fees can oftentimes be exorbitant. Click here for a sneak peek at how it appears on my website on the page entitled Touched by an Angel. It has a very similar appearance inside my book as well.

(If you don’t have a copy of Angel in My Room, just leave a comment at the end of this post, and I’d be happy to send you a complimentary copy.)

So anyway, as I sit here contemplating my next book, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness and favor. I ran across Akiane’s work years before I started writing. Little did I know that one day I would be emailing her about using one of her stunning paintings for my book. I had no book. I had no website. I had no credibility. I had nothing. A few years later, thanks to the favor of God and his faithfulness toward me, he gave me an unrelenting passion to share my testimony and the testimony of others through the gift of storytelling. I count it an honor and privilege to be able to share my stories, uplifting testimonies meant to inspire and encourage you.

I am writing today to share another testimony that is currently unfolding. I look at the obstacles in my way currently preventing me from proceeding with my 5th book. The odds of pulling it off are monumental. Although I can’t go into details just yet, suffice it to say that I know God’s faithfulness and favor rests upon my life, and if it’s His will, my 5th book will come to fruition. Just as he opened doors and made a way for all that has happened with my books from 2009 until now, I know that pales in comparison to what is about to happen next. It’s all part of The Master’s Plan for my life, and I truly believe all that has occurred up until this point was to help prepare me for the next step.

It seems that I write sometimes to encourage myself. I hope that you are encouraged as well. Just know that when God places something in your heart and you allow HIS will to also become YOUR will, miracles happen. I never wanted to write, but now I cannot imagine not writing. I never wanted to put myself “out there” and share some of my innermost thoughts, but I find myself doing just that all the time now. God does indeed have a plan for each of us. It is our responsibility to seek him and discover what that plan is and be willing to follow him along that path.

We encounter angels often unknowingly. Angels are messengers from God, assigned to protect and guide us. My prayer for Angel in My Room was that you would realize that you have been touched by an angel also. As Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” 

What a sweet angel Akiane was in allowing me to share a copy of this painting!

What a beautiful angel this picture really is!

What a precious angel who appeared in Lillie Hopkins’ hospital room over 30 years ago, and is now the reason for my 2nd book, Angel in My Room!

What a blessing angels are, sent straight from heaven to protect and comfort us!

What encounter have you had with an angel that you would like to share in the comments section below?