I am not a painter.
In the beginning, when brushes were handed out, canvases supplied, and instruction lovingly shared, I must have been comfortably and quietly journaling on a secluded, little white cotton cloud.
I was recently confronted with my own lack of talent with the brush.
It was my youngest daughter's eighteenth birthday celebration, and we all attended an art class to celebrate. My casual creation of a simple daylily on an 8x10 canvas easily filled any longing I might have had to paint for at least a few years.
But as I drove home I felt heaven whisper a call.
A call for me to live a little bigger.
To dream a little larger.
To become a little more.
In that moment I felt that painting outside my self-created-imaginary-lines and onto a canvas more than three times the original size would encourage the expansion of my mindset and belief in my potential.
Once the decision was made, I traveled directly into my own personal metaphor.
I found a picture of what I most wanted to create. Something that would fill me with vision. It boasted a beautiful grove of trees in early spring. The colors included soft browns, shades of purple, periwinkle, yellow-green and peach. I was delighted to find something meaningful that blended with the color scheme in my office. Why paint a 30x30 picture you'd be ashamed to display in a prominent place?
But as I looked at that picture, I had no idea how I would do it. I wasn't even sure of my first step.
I called a friend who is a great artist and asked her to mentor me.
Looking at the blank page was completely overwhelming, but with her developed talent, I breathed more deeply, knowing she would help me through the process.
And it was a process.
She first had me sketch the image I desired, which provided a foundation or a blueprint of what was to come. Just spending time putting pencil to paper connected me with my goal, and continually referring to my vision kept me in line. I could compare my progress with it to be sure I was on the right track.
Next I was directed to paint the green background surrounding the first cluster of trees. With ease and confidence, my mentor showed me how to create the proper brushstroke and mixed the paint to create the matching hues in my vision.
I followed her lead, timidly filling in the yellow green, drying it, and repeating for each small section.
My progress was slow, but deliberate, and I awaited further instruction before moving on to the next steps.
I moved to the foreground, filling it one area at a time, then to the tree trunks, and so on. After the entire base layer was completed, the painting began to take on dimension and shape through added color and texture.
Mistakes were swiftly repaired as she taught me how to use a small, stiff brush and a little water to scrub off the error and easily remove the paint with a paper towel. In those selected spots, my canvas was white again.
I learned how to highlight and soften edges, how to distinguish between the background and foreground, and how to interweave colors so they would pop.
At one point I became rather anxious. I was afraid we were approaching the end of the project, and it still seemed kind of flat to me – but my mentor came in and helped add some definition to a few trees and added a darker brush strokes in various places in the foliage. This made all the difference.
It was the touch of and the direction given by the master's hand that took the work of a novice and made a beautiful piece of art.
The parallels between the master painter and the Master of my soul are moving.
On the wall facing my desk hangs my masterpiece, a daily reminder of my own process coming to better know Him.
God has bigger plans for us than we have for ourselves.
He will help us find a vision of those big plans if we go to Him for help and allow Him to mentor us.
It's important to keep our vision before us so we can compare our progress with our end goal.
As we look to the Master, He will help us recognize each step to reach our dreams.
Our goal becomes more attainable when it's broken down into smaller, bite-sized actions.
Each completed step brings further dimension and joy to our journey.
When we make mistakes, the Master is poised and ready to show us how to make the canvas of our lives clean again.
Finally, after all of our best, but imperfect efforts, the Master adds the last simple details to our lives to make of us a stunning work of art.
If you are ready to expand your vision, I would love to help.