An artist, I am not. Sure, I can sing, and I can create some pretty cool-looking scrapbooks, but I'm talking about the kind of artist who can sit down and draw beautiful masterpieces. That most definitely does not describe me. I've tried, really I have. I have an image in my mind of exactly what I want to make my hands do, but unfortunately there's a disconnect between my brain and the moving of my hand. In the end, I always just give up. The talent isn't in me, and I've come to grips with it.
Today, I was drawn to Philippians 1:6. If you've been a Christian very long, you probably have it memorized. "Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
Somewhere along the way in my Christian life, I wrote some notes next to this verse. If I had written who I heard it from, I would surely give them credit today. The notes said this: Salvation is a work of art. God is the Artist. I am the masterpiece. And life is the canvas. Think about that. "The good work in me" is salvation. I made a commitment to the Lord as a child to put my faith and trust in Him. Once I did that, the Master Artist, God Almighty, started working on His masterpiece, me. Life may have it's ups and downs, but through it all, God is still in charge of everything I encounter. The Bible says that "He will carry it on to completion." He is still creating Me, and He isn't going to stop.
God is the Artist. I don't have to be the artist, I only have to allow Him to use my life for the canvas. Maybe you're like me, and you're not much of an artist. Have you been there? Have you ever had a blank canvas and found that no matter what you do, you can't make it look the way you want? Please tell me I'm not the only one! Apply that to life. I try, with God's strength, to do and be all that He wants me to be, but there are times when I find that the canvas is just plain ugly. Usually when this happens for me, I start to lose joy in things I once enjoyed.
Circumstances can sure do that to you, can't they? Sometimes other people throw in a big ugly spot into the masterpiece. I'm reminded this morning that dealing with those kind of people may make the piece of art different than how I thought it should look, but it doesn't necessarily ruin it. God is in charge of every little thing I encounter. Sure, it's my decision how I react to things, but there's no splotch of color that is thrown into life's palate without the Master Artist's approval.
Of course there's those black marks that I throw in on the canvas myself. You know the ones, the black ones. Commonly known as sin. But in this analogy, God has an eraser that never wears thin. All I have to do is ask Him for forgiveness, and He just removes those ugly black marks out of my life. God is pretty cool, isn't He?
I have a little mantra about joy that I repeat often. I've said it as recent as last week, and my kids have heard me say it more times than I can count. "Joy is a choice. You can't let circumstances depict your joy, you must choose joy in spite of your circumstances." Sometimes when the canvas gets a little abstract, especially when you're not expecting it, joy isn't the first reaction. But I'm so thankful that God gently reminds me of His purpose for me. I know I am a priceless creation for Him. No, I am not an artist, and this time, it's really ok. I know the Master Artist, and I know He's painting me to be His beautiful creation. ...and that's where I find joy.
Thanks, God. I needed that reminder today!
---Beth Banfill
www.GodandMe2theMax.com