Masterpiece

We live in a turn of the century home that had been condemned and abandoned for eight years. Thankfully for us, it was completely restored about ten years ago.  Although previously the eyesore of the neighborhood, it is now the gem, an amazingly beautiful blending of the old with the new. 

 No detail was forgotten.  The ceiling in our living and dining rooms, for example, was redone by a 70 year old man, the local expert in the field.  It was, in fact, his very last job before retirement.  The workmanship is amazing.  The entire surface is textured with swirling half circles that perfectly line up in every direction, and at certain times of day, it shows off the sunlight beautifully.  It is so amazing, in fact, that I have to wonder if this was his very best work, his magnum opus of sorts.

Which makes sense.  You spend your entire life developing your talent until towards the end of that life you finally complete your masterpiece.  I sometimes wonder if that's what the Creator was thinking when He created woman.  Yes, mankind was His last creation, but, technically, woman was the final beautiful masterpiece, the icing on the cake. 

Unfortunately, the enemy of our souls would love to destroy that beauty.  He would encourage us to tear it down with our own negative thoughts as we pick apart every detail of the Artist's work.  (My legs are too fat, my hair is too thin, my ears are too big, need I go on??)  Or worse, we compare the masterpiece that we have been created to be with the Artist's other works, as if we could compare a Monet to a Van Gogh!  Both have their own beauty, in their own way, just the way the Master Artist wanted it and created it to be. 

 I heard about an actress recently who had her highly recognizable nose "fixed".  She was lamenting the fact that now she looked like every other actress out there; there wasn't much to distinguish her from the crowd. 

I think, like viewing a painting, we need to step back and see the big picture.  Things are always blurry up close.  Details are messy.  There may be things that we consider to be imperfections, but are there by design.  These things provide the character and the differences that make life interesting.

  I just need to remind myself that I am an original work, a masterpiece created by the Master Artist.  And, even as He textures the corners of my eyes with the swirling half circles of new crow's feet (which line up perfectly in every direction!) I know, as I smile the smile He's given me,  they will help me show off the Sonlight beautifully.