We recently had the chance to connect with Cassie Rhoda and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Cassie, thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: What do you think others are secretly struggling with—but never say?
I wouldn’t say others never talk about this, but a lot of people struggle with body image issues that we don’t want to talk about. Shame over our bodies has been a battle for many of us. If you’ve gone through any abuse or attack against your body, I would bet you struggle with this even more.
Whether you have been abused, mocked, cheated on, sick, assaulted, or all of the above, like me, shame has a way of sneaking into our lives, telling us we aren’t good enough. You know what…it’s true, we aren’t good enough. Without God’s grace, we’d all still be participating in evil. I have learned that there is no true good in me without Jesus.
My worth, though, doesn’t come from being good enough, my good works, or how I look. It comes from God’s redemptive love.
It doesn’t matter what people and society say about us. It doesn’t matter what I think about myself. It matters what God says about me in His Word, and He says I have been made new. I am His chosen, known, loved, and delighted in daughter.
There is healing for us who struggle with shame and body image issues, but doing everything the world tells us to do to change our bodies isn’t the answer. We are missing true healing if we try to change or cover up our bodies, but neglect to heal our souls.
I have found healing with shame and body image through the Bible and a Bible study called “Body and Soul” by Lisa Whittle. Knowing the true purpose of my body healed me. My body isn’t an idol anymore. It doesn’t need to be fixed. Instead, I steward and live life well in it.
We are wonderfully made to glorify God and to be vessels of God’s work, not to meet the criteria of a fallen world’s standards.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Hi, I’m Cassie
Watercolor and Mixed-media Artist/Painter, Muralist, Christian Writer, Helper and Advocate for the Suffering, and Wife and Mom all in for Jesus.
My passion is Jesus. He has radically changed my life, and I can’t help but talk about Him.
I love working with other people and businesses who want to share the love of Jesus with those who need hope, joy, peace, and freedom. Some of the ways I am called to do that are through art, writing, and speaking.
Bible Journaling through my art has opened up not only a new level of healing for me, but has swung the door open for new ideas and styles of art and writing that I’m now exploring.
My new project, The Milestone Project, is on canvas. I’m taking my love of journaling, watercolors, and mixed media supplies to canvas as storytelling pieces of art that share my experience of healing through trauma.
I’m an advocate and friend to the outcasts, neglected, and suffering. I embrace and celebrate imperfections. To me, we are in the purest form of beauty when we don’t cover up how God intentionally created us. Our broken pieces are beautiful and useful to display.
When I’m not creating…
I’m usually piecing together a pretty jigsaw puzzle, baking, hiking in the Colorado mountains alone with Jesus or with my family, browsing through the flower, art, and book shops for fun, on a “coffee walk and talk” date with my Hubby, or curled up with twinkle lights watching a movie with my teenage daughter.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I rarely felt free to be myself growing up. That’s what growing up around a lot of anger and abuse can do. I didn’t speak my mind out of fear of arousing the anger around me. My experience as a child taught me to comply or get hurt. Even now, I find myself wanting to shrink back so I don’t ruffle feathers. It’s still hard to write about certain things, and I have a lot of triggers I’m working through. With time and continued healing, I’m becoming braver one step at a time.
God wants us to be free, and that means living boldly, fully ourselves as He created us to be. I’ve been made new, and I understand why I was the old girl. I will no longer surrender to people-pleasing to avoid abuse or harm. I have my own boundaries. Manipulation and control aren’t welcome near me anymore.
Slowly, I am healing and getting more confident that I’m safe to be fully me. And on days when fear tries to creep in, I fight back, knowing who God says I am in scripture.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
For too long, I held myself back from moving forward with creating in the suffering seasons because I didn’t have the strength or ability to complete the task. What I learned from long suffering was that I can do nothing without God’s help. I would be a lifeless couch potato if I believed I could only move forward when I had enough strength or ability to move ahead.
The truth is, I have never had enough strength on my own. When chronic illness hit me for almost two decades, God gave me the strength to be a good wife and mom. When my husband had cancer, God gave me the ability to bear the load even with my own chronic illness. When we lost everything financially and had to start over, God gave me the strength to move to Colorado Springs in April 2020. In the middle of a pandemic, with no jobs or a place to live, we gained the courage to follow a dream God had given us. The day I launched my art business, I got Covid and cut off the tip of my finger. God healed me and helped me move forward. When greed and corruption forced my family to leave our home and job, God gave us the strength to endure the uncertainty of where or how we would live again. When my marriage had hit rock bottom because of the past seasons of trauma, God gave me patience and contentment to wait in excruciating pain to let God work it out. When the waiting seasons were longer than I thought possible, God gave me comfort and joy to endure. When trauma became too much for my body, God gave me the courage and provision to process and relive trauma in counseling to heal.
It’s impossible to thrive in so much turmoil without God’s help. I never gave up or chose the easier route. That’s a miracle of only God’s doing.
If things had gone successfully as hoped and planned, I would not be where I am today. Suffering has shaped my character and has brought me to my destiny. It had a purpose.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
I live by the important truth that less is more. While many believe more options in life mean abundance, I know the opposite to be true.
We tend to overcrowd our lives with more activities, perishable items, and ideas. I’ve found the most peace lately by decluttering my life and eliminating some of my choices. I spend less time deciding and being distracted, and more time focused on what I value most.
Of course, we want enough to live well and give well, but how much is enough? How many subscriptions do we really need? What is serving a purpose in our lives, and what is distracting us from purpose?
By letting go of excess in my life, I’m getting back to a quiet, unrushed, simple lifestyle that allows my creativity to flourish. I have time to connect more and stress less. Instead of surviving life, I’m living well and nourishing the souls around me.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
I don’t do what I do for praise or recognition. I create as an act of worship to God, laying each painting, writing, art piece, baked good, etc. at the feet of Jesus, thanking Him for the ability to make something beautiful.
It feels great to get recognized for your hard work, but humility is something I value and want to obey in God’s Word. I have to do frequent heart checks to make sure I am living my life on purpose for a crowd of one, only God.
I give everything out of love. That is all. If what is created goes beyond that, it’s a bonus and meant to be shared to help others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://cassierhoda.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cassierhoda/
- Other: Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/cassierhodaart/
