In her memoir Lifted, Cindylou Barclay shows how Jesus used art to heal her trauma

By Susan Akyeampong | Zambia in Southern Africa

Cindylou Barclay.

Cindylou Barclay never imagined that her life would truly begin in her 50s. But as she reveals in her new memoir, Lifted, Jesus redeemed her, and gave her a new purpose to spread the gospel and his healing power through art. 

Rabbit by Cindylou Barclay

Lifted traces her remarkable journey from being Ontario, Canada, to becoming an trauma healing art therapist in Mongu, Zambia, where she helps young people process their trauma.

At 44, Cindylou’s life seemed to be falling apart. She was walking through the breakdown of her marriage and grappling with long-suppressed childhood traumas. Amid her heartbreak, she had an encounter with Jesus. He gave her a deep desire to reconnect with him, instructing her to immerse herself in his word.

Cindylou had been a stay-at-home mum for most of her adult life, but as her children grew older, she decided to return to college. “On a whim, I took a visual art class.” This decision set in motion a series of events that would change her life. She joined a prophetic art group at her church, Pier Church. While deepening her relationship with Jesus, she met Nancy, an SIM mission worker who was attending her church and leading a trauma healing group.

Cindylou joined the trauma healing group and became friends with Nancy. Inspired by the healing she experienced there and her artistic talents, Nancy and their church encouraged her to go to North Carolina and train as a trauma healer with SIM. They believed that Jesus wanted to use her unique gifts to serve others. She was obedient and did the training, a decision that would prove valuable later. 

When she returned, her artwork from the prophetic art class, inspired by Bible verses, deeply moved her classmates, who encouraged her to sell it online. 
This was another small step of obedience, leading to more than she could have imagined. As Cindylou puts it, "God was planting seeds every step of the way.” These seeds grew her faith, as she saw God open doors with every "yes" she gave him.

When an email circulated among her prophetic art class from Zoe, then the SIM International  Art Consultant for Africa, seeking artists for an international residency, Cindylou decided to apply. She was accepted into the programme and a few months later, headed to Nairobi, Kenya, for a three-week art residency. There, she met young people who used to drawings to exchange stories of how Jesus saved them from the despair of difficult life circumstances.

Lifted is about Jesus saving us from despair, filling us with hope and joy irrespective of life’s challenges, and lovingly rewriting our stories.
Baring the painful details of her life with such vulnerability was initially frightening for Cindylou. But she realised, “It’s not the same fear I felt as a child, because now Jesus was right beside me as I wrote. As I look back on all those hard times, I see that he was there the whole time.” 

Through her work as a trauma healing facilitator, Cindylou has helped many young people get to the root of their traumas and find solace, comfort and healing in Jesus. She hopes to do the same with this book. 

Lifted is a deeply personal journey Barclay invites readers to join. More than just her story, it reflects Jesus’ redemption offered to us all. Her message is clear: “[The book] is about how Jesus heals you from the pain of your past. Let him in, he will restore you. And it’s never, ever too late for you. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or what you’ve been through.  God’s timing is divinely perfect.” 

Prayer:

• Pray for the Mongu Youth Centre in Zambia, where the proceeds from Lifted will be directed. Ask God to bless the centre’s leaders and staff with wisdom, compassion, and resources as they work to support these young people. Pray that the funds from Lifted will be multiplied and used effectively to expand the centre’s impact, reaching even more young lives.
• Lift up Cindylou and her work as a trauma healing art therapist. Pray that God would bless her efforts, open doors for her ministry, and use her story and art to bring healing and the gospel to many.
• Pray that those who read Cindylou’s memoir, Lifted, will be touched by her testimony. Ask God to use her story to inspire faith, encourage those who are struggling, and draw many people closer to Jesus.