Don't Get Paint on Me

Where to start…? I’m remembering a vision that God placed in my heart during a time of complete uncertainty. The enemy was ruthlessly lying to me – screaming that I was loosing everything… but he was wrong. I did have to let go of what was in my hands so I could receive God’s next dose of blessing – but I was not a looser, I was loved.

He reminded me that I’m His canvas; we’re all His canvas. He has an intimate plan for each of our lives. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10.

The vision included the well known painter, Bob Ross – you’d often catch his show on a lazy Saturday afternoon on PBS. You might recall him best by his soft, peaceful voice and his very well-groomed afro. He would paint a beautiful sky; then frame the bottom of the picture with what appeared to be a serene body of water. Then, suddenly… he would scoop up a blob of black paint and smear it all over the canvas.

“WHAT IS HE DOING!” was my initial thought. It was so beautiful; then he had to go and ruin it! The weird thing was, he was just as calm and peaceful as he’d been before he seemingly destroyed this beautiful piece of art.

It’s because he had a plan… he had a VISION. He knew exactly what he was doing and even if it took onlookers a while to piece it together, it didn’t sway him one little bit. In most cases, that dark, sometimes ugly black blob was the amazing backdrop of a beautiful waterfall or majestic mountain – no matter what the end result, it was always beautiful.

God reminded me that I am His canvas… and so are YOU! He has a beautiful vision and He’s delicately and purposefully painting every stroke.

Often, our lives seem to be going along great; it’s full of beautiful sunsets, rushing waterfalls and peaceful cabins along side the lake (metaphorically). Then, one day – out of nowhere, a BIG BLOB OF BLACK PAINT! Did God mess up, did His hand slip, was He distracted?

I suggest the answer is no. I choose to believe that God continues to strategically paint on the canvas of our lives, undeterred from His vision. That He knows exactly what He’s doing. His Word says that He plans GOOD things for us; I’ve decided to hold Him to that promise. I’m deciding to trust Him.

I encourage you to watch this brief clip, which is a modern-day version of the vision I described above. It looks like chaos; it appears to be random and quite honestly, at times – like a big huge mistake. As you’ll see, it is anything but! I hope you’ll join me as I try to embrace the “blobs” in my life; that you too will begin to view the “blobs” as backdrops for God to “get a little paint on you” and create something glorious! I hope you'll consider joining my journey of healing. Subscribe for updates!

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Feel free to share your thoughts, struggle, and overcoming tips. I'm sure they will spark another element of my healing journey. If you feel my journey is helping you along yours, or you think it will help someone else in your world, please share this. If COVID taught us anything, it's no matter if you're an introvert or inward thinker, isolation and the sense of being alone is pure torture. Let's not do this alone!

You're always welcome!

Carrie ~