Lessons from an Art Gallery

I had the privilege recently of joining a friend at an art gallery to view the works of a local artist.  The artwork was mostly abstract, and as I tilted my head and squinted, trying to force the brush strokes into a familiar form, I heard Lisa's voice behind me.  "It's amazing what a different perspective you get when you step back a bit."

Sure enough, when I backed up, a beautiful seascape emerged from a seemingly random set of brush strokes. I realized that Lisa's sage bit of art appreciation advice applies to life as well.  Some days the bits and pieces of our life seem so random, so disconnected, so purposeless.  Dark moments seem to overshadow the bright ones, and events that come from nowhere appear to disturb the ebb and flow.

It is only when the perspective of time allows us to step back that we begin to glimpse the beauty of what God is creating through the individual colors dabbed into our life.  In the seascape before me, the brightness of the water would not have seemed as vibrant if it hadn't contrasted with the dark shoreline. The shadow of a solitary figure on a beach would not have been visible without the brightness of the sand behind him.

Songwriter Laura Story, in her song "Blessings," shares a similar perspective.  She asks questions wondering if God is using the sad, hard, and painful experiences of life to give us the greater blessing of his presence.

If you are walking through a time in your life that you do not understand, I encourage you to trust that the Artist of your life loves you, wants the best for you, and is creating something beautiful.  Crawl up into His lap, lay your head on His chest, cry if you need to, and know that His arms of love hold you close. Trust that one day, either in this life or the next, you will have the perspective to see just what God is doing, and that it is good.

"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, who are called according to His purpose." (Romans 8:28)

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