Artist Unaware?

Regardless of how you feel about the spider,there is one thing on which i think we can agree. The spider is an artist, you see!

Forgiveness

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you." Colossians 3:13 Chapter 4 of "The Creative Call" deals with forgiveness. I don't know how many times i thought i have forgiven those who have hurt or offended me only to have resentment rise up and smack me in the face when i least expect it. As i read through this chapter many of those past hurts have resurfaced again. One of the first things we are instructed to do in the book is to write the names of people i need to forgive and then we are to write a letter to one of those people telling him or her what they have done to discourage my dream of becoming an artist. My list really wasn' t very long-4 names to be exact. One of those names is my own. I have been stalling on writing the letter because i couldn't decide which would be most beneficial. It probably doesn't matter anyway because i would be the only person to ever see the letter but i do have a way of making things more difficult than they need to be. Finally, i decided to take the matter to God in my quiet time this morning. As i wrote my thoughts down in my journal the realization came to me that the grievances i held against these people were the same grievances i hold against myself. The hurtful things they said or did are the same as i said or did against myself. Maybe their actions were even motivated by the same emotions i feel: fear, overwhelm and uncertainty. From this perspective i do feel more compassion than resentment and with compassion comes forgiveness. While i am not all there yet, i do feel hopeful. I am also hopeful that God will take care of my overwhelming feelings as long as i take them to Him first.

The Artist

These are the lyrics to a song that a friend shared with me and i loved it so much i posted it on my other blog, Mosaic of Grace. The name of the song is "The Artist" by Mike Johnson. It was on an album from the 70's. Neither the song nor the singer ever made the big time and that is a shame because these words are beautiful. The Artist paints a landscape,filled with trees and mountains,colors of joy all around.Sheep and deer and lions living together,two children playing on the ground.The vandal hammers in,crosses out the picture,blood red paint dripping down;he hands the children brushes and he calls the paint wisdom,they spread the colors all around.Blood and paint mingle,the colors run together;you can't tell art from happenstance.The children are crying and they know they must be dying --who will give them another chance?The Artist paints a city,scenery's still pretty,children and babies play;the painting has been marred and the edges have been charred,but there's beauty in youth anyway.The vandal hammers in,crosses out the picture,blood red paint dripping down;he hands the children brushes and he calls the paint wisdom,they spread the colors all around.Blood and paint mingle,the colors run together;you can't tell art from happenstance.The children are crying and they know they must be dying --who will give them another chance?The Artist paints a manger,the birth of a baby,and puts his brushes away;he steps into the pictureand he touches his creations and he lives with them day by day.A hillside has been painted where a cross is standing on which the Artist dies;the vandal is leering from behind the jeering of a thousand painted eyes.To the horror of the vandal,the Artist is standing,brushes and palette in his hand;he erases the vandal and all who believe him --paints the beauty of a thousand lands.He touches the children,every face is smiling,then he steps inside,with the kiss of his lips and the touch of his breath the children in the painting come alive!The Artist paints a landscape,filled with trees and mountains,colors of joy all around.Sheep and deer and lions living together,children are playing on the ground.He touches the children,every face is smiling,then he steps inside;with the kiss of his lips and the touch of his breath,the children in the painting come alive.