A Masterpiece

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

This week begins the season of Lent, a forty day (excluding Sundays) time of repentance, fasting, reflection, and ultimate celebration. On Ash Wednesday we will begin to remember the forty days Jesus wandered in the wilderness where He fasted, was tempted, and rebuked Satan. He painted for us a beautiful masterpiece of how life can be for each one of us.

I am so in awe of those people who can take a blank canvas put it on an easel, grab some paint, look at a picture or out their window, or remember something special, and paint a beautiful picture or masterpiece. Webster gives some synonyms of a masterpiece which includes words and phrases like: a showpiece, success, a gem, jewel, treasure, and a piece of the master. I especially love the synonymous way a masterpiece is equated with a piece of the master.

We are so fortunate to have Jesus as our role model which means to me that every morning we can paint a new masterpiece of our life on our canvas. I like to see it visually, because to me it says that everyday when we get our brand new canvas upon which to paint our life, we have a choice whether it’s beautiful and light, dreary and dark, complicated and hard, or just plain and simple.

During the Ash Wednesday services years ago, Randy would have us take flash paper, write our sins on it, and at the end of the service burn them. The paper and the sins were gone in a “flash”. That’s how I like to look at our lives. Jesus forgives us just that quickly and offers us a chance to start again with a brand new canvas.

I begin to ponder a question. If we had to paint a picture to describe us and our lives, what would it look like? Would it honor Him? Would He be disappointed? Would it be a picture of service? Would it reflect His love?

Although each day contains the same twenty four hours, every day presents a unique set of circumstances. If we don’t try to force fit today into yesterday’s mold, we can be open for God to show us all he has prepared for us on this brand new day! We can paint a masterpiece.

But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, putting on faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet. Dr. Steven Gunter