[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teXcrK_XVEQ&w=640&h=390]
(I’m not quite sure why this word picture came into my head with this song – maybe because I’ve been painting lately. But I want to follow His lead, as the song says. I don’t want to miss any part of the adventure! And p.s. I want to be Kim Walker when I grow up…)
Do you ever get the picture that God, the magnificent artist of life, has sleeves full of amazing plans and endless adventures? Can you see Him rolling up those great sleeves with passion and anticipation as he pulls out His huge brush and begins creating incredible beauty with a single stroke? Can you see the smile on His face as He mixes colors and shapes and textures on His great canvas? A smile of joy in creating and of “wait’ll you see this!” And as His hands glide across that canvas, things begin spilling out of His sleeves. Joy. Peace. Mercy. Grace. They fall into the paint and He mixes them into each color.
He is the master artist, creating a masterpiece. And it brings Him incredible joy. He is covered in all the hues that make up this picture. He plunges His hands into the paint – the brush is not enough. Hands dripping, He puts His fingerprints all over this work of art – His own unique and personal signature. The fact that His hands are dirty and will undoubtedly be stained from this project doesn’t seem to bother him a bit.
And then you see it – your face on the canvas. He is painting YOUR life. And the colors that seemed random and meaningless before now suddenly make up the story that is your life. And you notice that no matter what color is there, each contains His fingerprints. The joyous yellows, the darkest blacks, the vivid reds. When your story was good and when it was not so good.
And then this great artist does the strangest thing. He asks you to join Him in the project. He hands you a brush and shows you what to do. But you’re scared. You’ve tried this before. You’re not very good at painting. The last time that you tried to paint your own life, things didn’t go so well. And He smiles. He’s well aware that you are not the artist that He is. But He tells you that He will paint with you. And He takes your hand in His own and guides it across the canvas. And painting is no longer scary. It’s exciting and fun!
You’re not sure what the picture will turn out like, but it doesn’t seem to matter, because you feel so safe in the hand of this great Creator. And each day, you discover new joys of watching the masterpiece take shape and come closer to completion. Each day you ask, “What’s up Your sleeve now? What will we paint today?” And sometimes the colors will be to your liking and sometimes you’d rather choose another, but you know that each color has its own purpose and place in the picture and will add its own depth and dimension.
I don’t want to miss out on the adventure of working alongside the Master Artist. I want to check His sleeves every day. I want to have my nose in His business and come out with His paint all over it. I want to be messy with the colors of His work in and on my life. I want to be part of this “work in progress”. I can’t paint worth beans. But I want to learn from the Master….
Psalm 143:8 – Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life
