A Blank Canvas Artist

 

I really did want to paint! Let me rephrase that. I could paint walls, doors, railings, and any piece of furniture. But what I REALLY wanted was to paint a delicate and beautiful scene on a blank canvas. No paint-by-numbers for me! I desired to create something that was uniquely mine.

What I’ve come to realize, though, is that painting is about more than talent. It’s about the willingness to pick up a brush and try. And while I might not be Pablo Picasso, I’ve learned an important truth: We can paint over any canvas.

That’s the reassurance offered in 1 Peter 4:8, which tells us, "Love covers a multitude of sins." In other words, love can paint over any canvas -- no matter how messy it looks.

Yes, even the choice we made that seems unforgivable.
Yes, even the secret that sometimes wakes us up in the middle of the night.
Yes, even the mistake that accuses us from the quiet, dark corners of our hearts.
Yes, the failed marriage that bears so many painful memories.
Yes, the brokenness of choosing abortion and feeling the shame.

The enemy of our souls’ whispers, “You don’t get a second chance. Your canvas is ruined.” But the Savior’s voice is stronger, saying, “I died to give you as many chances as you need.”

Art -- and life -- isn’t about perfection. It’s about the courage to try, to start again when we’ve made a mess. Every day is a blank canvas, waiting for us to pick up our brushes. So, let’s dip deep into the well of God’s grace and begin again.

Thank you, Heavenly Father, for offering Your grace. You show us Your mercy. You encourage us to keep trying, to not give up. You take our messy, splattered canvases and turn them into something beautiful. Give us the courage to trust that we can always begin again. Amen.

“Therefore, if anyone be in Christ, they are new creatures: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new.”
(2 Corinthians 5:17)