Trust the Artist
Photo image courtesy Curated Lifestyle for Unsplash
"He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end."
- Ecclesiastes 3:11
Have you ever looked at a painting before it's finished and thought, "What a mess!"? As a visual artist, I can tell you that paintings often go through some pretty ugly stages! There are brushstrokes that look awkward, colors that don’t appear to blend well, and areas that seem impossible to pull together. I have to look past all this to trust that the painting will come together in a beautiful way in time.
I've been thinking about how much this analogy resembles our lives. We can see the part of the canvas we've already painted—our past—and the part we're working on right now. But we can't see the rest. And because our finite, linear minds can't grasp the entire picture, we get hung up on what's happening in the moment or on how we think our lives should look. We forget to trust the God who guides our path and will complete His good work in us. (Philippians 1:6)
When I paint with acrylics, I sometimes make mistakes and have to use a wet paper towel to wipe away brushstrokes I don't like (one of the benefits of using acrylic paint!). Sometimes I have to go back over the same area again and again until I fix my mistakes. Other times I get so stuck that I walk away from a painting for a while. I just finished one I had left unfinished for over a year!
Don't our lives feel like that sometimes? We make mistakes. We take unexpected turns. We have seasons when nothing seems to be coming together. And we wonder how anything beautiful could possibly come from what we're seeing.
But unlike me, God doesn't have to wonder how the finished painting will turn out. He sees our past, present, and future—the entire canvas. He knows how the different parts of our lives fit into His purposes, even when we can't make sense of any of it! He sees beyond the awkward and messy places while lovingly guiding us through them, all the time adding brushstrokes to the painting of our lives.
Ephesians 2:10 says we are God's workmanship. And Romans 8:28 reminds us that He works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. That doesn't mean we won’t experience trials, or that we'll understand every brushstroke. It means His providence isn't limited by what we can see right now. He knows how to weave each season together to ultimately bring about His good purpose.
So, friends, maybe we need to stop judging our lives by the unfinished section of the painting in front of us. We can keep following the Lord, trusting Him with what we don't understand, and letting Him continue His work in us.
After all, we only see the individual brushstrokes. He sees the whole picture.
It’s time to trust the Artist.
Questions for Reflection:
1. How does knowing that God sees the whole picture help you trust Him today?
2. Can you think of something you need to stop worrying about and instead trust the Artist?
