Walking the path

(2-minute read)

My wife, like most artists, is constantly experimenting and learning. Lately, it’s been on the subject of painting clouds. Last week, she wanted to experiment with a new color palette to create a mood with clouds and water. Since experimenting with a new full-size canvas would become expensive, she chose a thin, inexpensive student-grade canvas. She took a canvas she had used before since it was just an experiment.

When I saw the finished product, I asked her not to paint over it but only to add her signature. When she finished, I quickly put a hanger on it and hung it on the wall to ensure she wouldn’t change her mind. Our son came over last weekend, and when he heard that it was just an experiment, he asked, “Can I have it?” That ensured its survival. She never gave the painting a name. No one wants a painting on their wall entitled Color Palette Experiment With Clouds and Water on a Cheap Canvas.

When I looked at that painting, it reminded me of the many men I’ve known that the world would consider heroes. In getting to know them, it’s common for them to wonder later in life if they did anything with their life that mattered. The older I get, the more it seems like only the Lord can give a life real value. God can take what is worthless and make it into a masterpiece. He doesn’t violate our free will to do this, but he moves on our behalf when we ask him.

My wife didn’t know I stood before that painting and prayed, “Lord, make my life a value. Change me, Lord, not in how I see value, but in how you do.” It wasn’t until afterward that I realized that that was the same as praying, not my will but thine.