This morning at church Pastor Eric at WBC was talking about God's purpose for our lives and how He is the painter and sometimes when the brush hits the canvas, it can be painful, but we have to trust the Sovereign hands that paint our lives. I got to thinking how we are God's canvas and God is the artist and He knows what He is doing. Me telling Him how the picture should be painted is like an amateur telling Vincent Van Gogh how to paint. It's ridiculous! No matter what happens in our lives, God promises us that He will complete the good work He started in us as stated in Philippians 1:6. He never promises that this process will not be painful, but that the work will be completed in His way. I wrote a poem titled The Master Painter based on today's sermon and the concept of God being a painter. I will share it below:
The Master Painter
My life is a canvas,
It started out white and clean.
Then the Painter splashed colors on it,
And painted strokes as experiences
In my life came along.
It looks messy in the process,
But more is waiting to be seen.
Some strokes are rough
And sorrows come-
A Broken heart, shattered dreams, a friendship lost,
The list goes on,
And oh the pain!
But the rough strokes are necessary
Alongside the smooth...
To create the masterpiece
that God gets to choose.
I may beg Him for the smooth strokes-
The smiles, the laughter,
The happiness that lasts for hours and hours-
But alas He lovingly splatters on the paint in
Rough strokes and whispers to me,
"Trust me, my child,
For you may not see,
But this picture of your life,
Oh how beyond beautiful it is going to be,
When time comes for it to be done.
These rough strokes are part of my plan for you-
Though painful at times it allows me
To draw you closer and fulfills
My Purpose on the canvas of your life."
And so I trust the Painter
With the rough and the smooth.
When the paint goes on gently and thin,
And when it goes on quick, harsh, and thick.
Splashes of color,
Sometimes dreary and gray,
Sometimes bright like a sunny day.
So take this canvas, Lord,
Do with it what You will.
For You are the Master Painter.
What I see may look like a catastrophe,
But what You see is the making of a beautiful masterpiece.
God is the amazing painter who takes the messy and rough strokes along with the smooth, easy strokes to create a beautiful masterpiece on the canvas of our lives! We may not understand why the picture has to be painted the way it does and sometimes we must just simply trust in the Master Painter and that he will fulfill His purpose in our lives. And yes, those rough strokes filled with pain and heartache are actually needed. They give the painting character and depth and cause it to be unique, and when done a one-of-a-kind masterpiece that all the world can marvel at when they see your life as a whole and say "Wow, see what the Master Painter has done."
