Smudge

Written November 23 2009

In an empty art room my nose is almost pressed to a painting and I stand in confusion as to why the artist calls this painting “Love.” I read the description over and over; hoping it will help me understand, but continue to only see blobs of paint from one side of the canvas to the other. Even some of the colors are not the most attractive one’s I’ve ever seen on the color wheel. I had started by looking at the painting from across the room and something about it confused and intrigued. I thought if I got close it would start to make sense. As I began to walk closer I realized that it became more confusing to me than it was from across the room. Even so, I continued to inch closer in a desperate attempt to finally get it, to understand what in the world this artist was trying to portray. However, the only thing that moving closer had seemed to do was make any somewhat recognizable picture turn into a collaboration of paint blobs that resembled the color of mud. I was thoroughly confused as I strained, squinted, and refocused, thinking that would help reveal what I seemed to be missing. I glanced from painting to its title “Love, and then painting, back to “Love.” Was this guy kidding?! Shouldn’t the word “Love” be best shown as some sort of bright and bubbly collaboration of reds and vibrant colors of the like? I had seen many other paintings in there that looked far more beautiful and exciting than this one, and to put a caption like that…I smirked and shook my head. What a joke, some people will turn anything into art with a label. It was just then that a voice from behind startled me and cause me to slightly jump in place. “Interesting concept, huh?” I turned and my eyes met with a man donning silver hairs and a well worn hat. His simple clothes hinted that he didn’t care much about a fashion statement and most likely preferred a simple life. I wondered for a second who he was, and mostly how long he had been watching me as I was absorbed in the paint globs before me. This intriguing man sat on a bench a few feet behind me and let his gaze fall on the same painting I stood mystified by. I heard him sigh. I wondered what stories his life held and why he chose to gaze at the same painting when there seemed to be so many others in the room, whose bright and vivid colors deserved much more attention. “It’s different isn’t it?” I heard him ask. I turned around with a perplexed smile and said “Yes, sir, I am quite puzzled.” A warm smile spread across his weathered face and he said, “I think it’s the title that confuses most people.” I agreed, and mentioned that it was because of that reason I had moved closer and try to figure it out, but that the up close blobs of paint had only distorted things even more for me. He chuckled and said, “You can’t move closer when you’re confused, you have to take a few steps further back to see what the artist truly intended with his vision for his art piece.” I admit, at first this man’s advice seemed a little odd, but as I began to move to the other side of the room I realized he was right. The brown hued blobs slowly seemed to move on the canvas and with a new perspective I saw what I never would have seen before, a bird in flight. I was so overjoyed to see the picture I had strained to find for what seemed forever. The old man joined me as I stood in awe of the new revelation. “I titled it ‘Love’ because she’s just been set free from her cage into the grand and beautiful world.” I turned and looked in this mysterious man’s eyes and felt my own begin to fill with tears. “You created that?” I asked. “I did, and only those who are patient enough to take a longer look, and desire to see what was intended, are ever blessed by the reward of seeing her wings in the freedom of the air. His eyes sparkled, and with a smile he said, “I’m glad you saw past the ugly spots and desired to see the bigger picture of love, in freedom, that I created.” It was in that moment that I realized I was looking at a masterpiece, and it truly did portray love.

I’ve come to realize that as we look closely at our lives and are focused on the pain, frustration, and grief, we often cannot see the “bigger picture”. God wants us to draw close to Him, but be willing to step back from the moment we find ourselves in so that He can help us to see the beautiful in the broken and ugly seasons of our lives. If we can’t step back “across the room” of our lives, and be still, we might never have the grand opportunity to see the beautiful way all the “paint blobs” of our lives come together on His canvas and create a masterpiece worthy of the halls of heaven’s eternity. Our Father is standing behind us with a smile on his face wanting to help us understand His specially created art for each of our lives. You just have to get closer to the artist so you can hear what he’s saying. With His guidance you will see what “Love” really means to Him, and all the freedom in His love that He desires for you.