Jesus came to me in a dream, to tell me the truth
Norway-based photographer, Mari Strømsbo Gjørv, shares how Jesus came to her in a dream in order to reveal her true identity to her. And how a blog by the members of Hillsong Sydney, inspired her to creatively pursue photography.
Hi Mari, tell me a bit about your life journey so far and how your walk with Jesus has shaped it? I come from a Christian family and got taught about the bible and the Christian walk from a very young age. But even though I had a strong belief in God, I didn’t know Him personally. When I started my years of schooling, I started hanging out with the wrong group of friends and they had a bad influence on me. I gave into a life that was all about good looks, being cool and getting one’s value from boys. Alcohol fueled my weekends as I tried to make everyone around me think that I had it all together. I lived for many years under this influence and as a result, I became very closed off. I believed the lies about myself. That I was never going to measure up. That I was never going to be as pretty and skinny as the other girls. And because I wasn’t going to fit in , I wasn’t of much value. This made me struggle a lot with my identity. And eventually, I lost all hope for my future because I grew tired of living a life I hated. That’s when God showed up in my life. He came to me during my darkest hour. The one time I was ready to give up on my life, He came to me in a dream. Jesus walked towards me with His arms wide open and ready to embrace me. At first, I thought He was just another guy I had to impress. But as He came closer to me and hugged me, all my walls came crashing down. I was filled with a love, a compassion, a comfort I had never felt before. I felt seen, I felt valued, I felt loved no matter how I looked. God saw me. He came to me personally to tell me the truth. When I woke up from that dream, His presence stayed with me for an entire week. That was the start of my healing, of my restoration, of my identity to be found in Jesus. I started laughing again, smiling again, feeling love and joy again. To this day, the memories of God’s personal love for me is what pushes me through challenging times. Life is still life, and everything is still not easy to this day. But God has totally changed my life, given me hope and reassured me that there is a purpose for my life.
How did you come to discover your passion for photography? Growing up, my mother’s biggest passion was photography. And because she was always taking pictures of things, I developed an interest for doing the same. I think I was maybe 11 years old when I got my first camera and took it on trips to Africa and Peru with my dad. I loved capturing everything I experienced on those trips. The ability to create something beautiful out of something that might look ordinary, intrigued me.
When I was 16 years old, I came across a photography blog by the members of Hillsong Sydney. They combined photos, wrote song lyrics and quotes on top of them, and then turned the photographs upside down. Today, these things are seen all the time, but back then, 7 years ago, this was all new to me. That’s what made me want to pursue photography full time. To be able to create, inspire and spread truth while doing what I love.
What legacy do you want to leave behind when you die? The legacy I want to leave behind is that finding your purpose, not perfection, will give you a life filled with truth, power and a direction that will never disappoint you. We are not called to use our unique gifts and personalities to be perfect, we are called to use them for Jesus. To live a life with true meaning and purpose.
“I am thankful for so many things in my life. I´m thankful for my past, that even though I lived in darkness for many years, I was able to experience Jesus’ love personally. I´m thankful for figuring out that my life is worth living.”
Thanks for reading!
And God Bless You!
Credits:
- Interview by Tertius Ledwaba
- Photographs by Mari Strømsbo Gjørv
- Mari’s Instagram page
