Beauty in Creation

At the end of last year, I got to be part of making something plain and boring into something beautiful and colorful.  I have never considered myself an artist but through this project have realized the amazing process of creation.

The multipurpose room in our office at Children of Grace was bare and somewhat lifeless.  We wanted to bring color and creativity to the room and I was tasked with that project.  Enjoying decorating as I do, I was excited to help spearhead this effort.  It took time brainstorming with a few friends and then drafting our ideas on paper.  We listened to thoughts from the staff about what they'd like to see in their office.  We longed to involve the children we dedicate our days to serving.

It required finding local artists to assist us in making this something worth viewing.  It meant budgeting for and taking trips to town to pick up the necessary supplies.  We had to gather students for the project and plan appropriately before they arrived so we could utilize their help.

There was a lot of time, thought, and heart that went into to the preparation and by the time the day finally arrived to get started, I was both anxious to see it take place and horrified by the unknown of the final product.

And so we began.  I observed (and interjected my thoughts and opinions) as nothing turned into something, as a bare wall became a masterpiece.  And I was overwhelmed by the beauty of watching the process of creation.

At the end of day one we were thrilled with the start of the project.  And yet, we knew there was still much to be done.  We were looking at bare branches and were excited to see them bursting with color and life!  While there was beauty in what was already there, the full potential had not yet been reached.

And so, we brought in a number of our sponsored children to participate in the painting.  We invited them to be part of this work of creation.  Oh, what a joy to watch it come alive and to see our sweet students helping make it happen.

The kids had a blast hanging out at the office and making such a beautiful piece of art in a place they love so much!

Mike and I even got to leave our mark as well along with a few of the other staff (had to have a few "big" hands to fill in some of the gaps!)

What a masterpiece the team created!  And what beauty we had the privilege of watching form.  What began with blank walls and an idea to spruce up the office, became a creation that I was blessed to be a part of making.

I wasn't sure we would actually pull it off.  I wasn't confident it would actually come together with a decent end result.  Even as the "designer," I couldn't trust that the final product would be to my satisfaction.  And in this, I learned a lot about the Lord. 

It was amazing what this taught me about His work in creation: the creativity of His design, the power through which He makes things come to life, the potential He sees in all of us when we'd rather give up and stay the way we are.  I'm so thankful He is constantly refining me and making me into something more beautiful, something more like Him.  And I'm thankful that He knows the end result.  He can see the beauty that is to come and even the pain must be a part of the process.  And He's patient with me, knowing that it will all be worth it and longing for me to trust Him as my loving Creator!

Today, on Palm Sunday, I'm especially thankful that His ways are higher than our ways and that He made a way (a perfectly designed way) for us to be in relationship with Him!

He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11