The Hike

With a little more than an hour before I needed to be at the airport I found a trail that led to a waterfall and I took it.

I must say from the very beginning, we who resided in Southern California have no comprehension of how green and lush a trail can be in a climate where they actually get things like rain and snow.  This one attribute bathes the edge of what would be a ho hum stream in great beauty.  It is in this beauty that I journeyed this trail.

Because I started the trail near the waterfall, it was of the first places I stopped. This particular waterfall is manmade.  In fact, when President Linden b. Johnson came to visit it during a drought the city turned on all the fire hydrants up stream to ensure there would be a significant flow of water.   They wanted to guarantee that the President saw it in all its glory.  Today the water was flowing with great vigor and it was beautiful.

After taking in the falls for a few moments, I headed down stream.  The well maintained trail hugged the bank of the stream which supplied a soothing soundtrack for this hike.  The trees provided a cooling canopy of shade.  What a pleasant discovery in my last hour in the city.

About halfway down the trail there was a large steal bridge that crossed the small gorge which had been carved out by this stream.  It was a single span arch, made with steel girders that were quite striking.  I had passed several small foot bridges that crossed the river along the way, but none of them were as splendid as this one.

I attempted to get a decent photo of it with the camera on my phone, but the only thing the trees would allow was glimpses of the bridge.  The canopy was obscuring the view.  I left the trail to find a better vantage point, but none was to be found.  Because of the trees I could not photograph the tree in its entirety.  This was a disappointment.

Finally I turned and started back down the path.  As I walked away from the bridge I had a thought, “Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to cut down some of those trees so you could capture the bridge in a photograph.”  Almost immediately, I stopped myself and thought, “What are you thinking?  Here you are hiking down this beautiful trail, made more so by the trees through which it meanders, and you want to thin them out so you can see a bridge.”

What if I forgot about the bridge, quit thinking about what I wished I could see and focused on what is right in front of me?

As I began to do this another ran across my mind, “How many other areas of life do I have the same propensity to look beyond the beauty in front of me, longing to see what is only a notion in the distance?”

Sometimes I can do this with people.  I have had someone standing right in front of me who is uniquely created by God.  They are His workmanship, a person of beauty, and I can be looking over their shoulder anticipating the arrival of someone else rather than being present in the moment.

I can do this with the circumstances of my life.  I have a hope for what is coming, an inkling that there is something beautiful on the horizon, and the preoccupation with what is to come keeps me from seeing the beauty of what God is doing in the here and now.

There are times I do this with my own growth.  I am so focused on who I desire to become that I cannot see the beauty of how God has already shaped me.  This creates a discontent, rather than gratitude for what God has already accomplished.

In each of these examples I am focused on something in the distance that keeps me from fully discovering the beauty of where I find myself in the present moment.

There have been times when I have been hiking that I have been so focused on the destination that I have practically run through the forest.  The drive is so strong to get there that my vision is either focused on an obscured point in the distance, or on the path at my feet. In the process, I miss the beauty of the woods that are flying by me.  Usually this is because I am trying to get somewhere by a certain time, or meet some arbitrary goal I have set for myself.  I may meet it, or get there at the desired moment, but what have I lost along the way?

Scripture tell us our days are ordained, God is faithful to complete the good work He has begun in us, and that He is sovereign over all things.  This should give us great freedom to not worry about those things that seem obscure in the present moment, or which are still some distance away.  It should give us freedom to be able to live in the present moment, enjoying and discovering the beauty of the here and now.

It is amazing to me how many times we are commanded in Scripture to wait and to rest, to simply be in the moment where we find ourselves.  We are not to seek to get there quicker, or cut down trees to gain a better view, but to simply live in trust that God makes all things beautiful in His time.  This kind of trust makes the invitation to live in the present moment one which we can accept.  When we do we will truly see the beauty that is before us.

Psalms 139:16

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them.

Philippians 1:6
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.

Proverbs 16: 9

The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

Joy

Since being laid off from my former employer I have picked up a temporary job installing phones for a manufacturer of wheels at its warehouses across the country.    In making the switch to a new phone system, the company needed someone to go to each location and do the physical installation.  I am grateful to be that man.

The work is a lot like putting a big circuit together that is made up of Ethernet cables, phones, routers, switches, and punch down blocks.  This is what I do.  Once all the hardware is in place I get on a conference call with at least three other people who are programming various parts of the system and we sink the hardware and software together.   We cross our fingers hoping all the sip trunks, IP addresses and firewalls are aligned and the phones come to life.

Some nights this is too much to ask and we can spend hours on the phone trying to diagnose what the problem might be.  It could mean working all day and then staying late into the night.

Some nights, like last night it all goes according to plan.  There is dial tone, there is ringing, and there is a connection!  These nights you go home relatively early, 8:30 pm and the next morning, when you stop by the warehouse to check and make sure all is well, there is not much to do.

On days like this what is created by everything working as it should is time.  There is time to see the area of the country you have only seen through the widows of the plane, rental car, hotel room, and of course the office where you are installing phones.  Now, because all went well, you have a few hours before your next flight to step out from behind the glass and look at this part of the world face to face.

Today, because it all went well last night, I spent time in Lincoln Park.  I strolled through the atrium, meandered through the formal garden, and ambled through the zoo.  It was afternoon and most of the animals were sleeping so I watched people.  I picked a spot on which to perch myself several benches down from a man who was playing a guitar and harmonica at the same time.  

This is very impressive to those of us with no musical talent.

I watched as he played and people passed.  The songs he played were lively and fun. They brought many smiles to the faces of those passing by.  Some would break out singing the song he was playing.  Little children would stop and stare with great curiosity.  People would drop a few coins or a couple of bucks into his guitar case. 

I sat there long enough watching the people and enjoying the music that I was there when he began to close up shop.  He sat his guitar down and began picking the money out of his case.  He then began to put away his instruments.  It was then that I walked up and threw in a few dollars of my own and asked him how long has he been making a living doing this (When you are only temporarily employed you have to be looking for that next job opportunity all the time).  What he shared with me surprised me.

After telling me 24 years, he turned away from the topic of his music and began to talk about the corruption in the city and how the money gained from it seeped into the church.  His logic was that the politicians, who are dishonest, feel guilty and to clear their conscious, give large amounts of money to the church.  Now this is Chicago, a city notorious for its political corruption, so I cannot say it is not true.  Even if it is true, however, this was not the turn of conversation I expected from  a guy who had be playing joyful music just moments before.

He apparently had a lot going through his mind as he sat there and played his songs.  I just listened and let him get it all out.  I am not sure he has had anyone listen to him for quite some time.

He kept talking for a long time he finally paused and said he was sorry for talking so much.  I told him not to worry about it.  He said it just that the corrupt politicians have done so much to steal the joy of freedom and that is all he really wants, to be left alone and be free.

After a brief pause in the conversation I said, “Well, at least you are able to come here and share your music with others, bringing them joy.  His response hit me like a brick.  He said, “ I hate these songs.  I sing them so much when I wake up they are in my head.  I cannot wait until summer is over so I can quit singing them.  It is just a way to make some money to stretch my Social Security check.  It helps me keep a roof over my head.”

I said, “Thank you anyway.  It was nice to meet you and have a great day.”  I then walked away.

If that man only knew how much I wish I had his gifts for music and could bring people the instantaneous joy I witnessed him bring to people.  Maybe then he would think differently about the songs he sings.

I do not have his gifts, but I have others.  I can teach and write in ways that connect to the heart.  I can see how an idea can help shape the future of a community and I can lead others to make it a reality.  I can create.  I can encourage and build up leaders.  I can look a financial sheet and see what is really taking place.  I can love a community deeply.  I have been given gifts to build up the body of Christ, but there are others gifts I have as well.

If it involves using tools I can do it.  I can act as a mechanic, build, weld, wire, and repair.  One of the best compliments I ever received was from a master mechanic who told me I had a future in auto repair if I wanted one.  There is nothing I cannot take apart, put back together, and make work.  These gifts have made possible my stent as a telephone instillation technician.   I was left without a source of income and these gifts have provided some for this season.

It is much more, however, than a way to keep a roof over my head.  Each day, each location, is an opportunity to bring Christ with me to work in ways quite honestly you do not have to think about as a pastor.  Each day is an opportunity to turn to him in gratefulness for what He has provided in this temporary job, to trust him that he will provide something else when this is complete, and to look for joy in the midst of using this set of gifts.

Part of that joy is in the people I meet and the conversations we have, like the divorced dad I met who needed to be encouraged in his struggle to relate to his teenage daughter.  Part of that joy is found in doing something that comes so easily to me and being a bit perplexed as to why the people I am serving seem to be so impressed.  Part of that joy is in serving these people with the same attitude with which Christ served us, humility, love, and self-sacrifice.  I try to set a tone so that when the question comes up, as it almost always does, “How long have you been doing this,” and I tell them I am new and spent the last 21 years as a pastor, I hope when their mind clicks back through the day they can see a connect between my last job and this one.

It does not take long after they discover what I used to do, for a look to come across their face that says, “You must have done something to really screw up to go from being a pastor to installing phones.”  I do not respond, and as hard as it may sound, I take as a grace, recognizing that in this moment of humiliation, part of the joy comes from the fact that I am, in some small way,  sharing in the humility of Christ.

Most of the joy, however, comes from knowing this is what God has placed before me in this season and despite the fact I am working far from the community I love, with people I will never meet again, in a job that will only last for a short season, I can bring glory to my Father and my Father is pleased.

Do not underestimate the joy that can be found here, no matter what your job is.

Power of the Plug

It is amazing what community an electrical outlet will build in an airport. In Oklahoma City International Airport they have entire banks of seats that are wired for power and as you might imagine these are very popular places to sit.  If you were with someone you might not notice the diversity of people these seats collect, but traveling alone you listen more than you speak and you cannot help but hear pieces of the lives of the people who are sitting next to you.

Today, while parked in my powered seat, I could not help but hear the conversations of six Navy recruits who were sitting behind me.  They were on their way to Chicago where they would be inducted into the service and begin their basic training.  You could hear the nervous excitement in their voices as they bantered back and forth.

They talked about what it would be like when they arrived.  They wondered how much they would get yelled at on their first day.  They joked about what they would look like with no hair.  Their plane was delayed and they wondered if they would get into trouble for being late. They talked about  the kinds of jobs they hoped be given and they shared the promises their individual recruiters made to each of them.

It was a pleasure to listen in on what was going on in their hearts and minds as they were getting ready to make this important transition in their lives.

I must not have been the only one listening in on their conversation because a man, who quickly identified himself as a former Navy man, came and sat down and began to ask a slew of questions.

Now, I have to confess from the very beginning, my judgmental heart quickly discerned that his questions were not formed to discover more about these young men and women, but  to demonstrate how much he knew.  He rattled off so many acronyms and military jargon that I did not understand and I am sure the recruits hand not yet learned.  This just added to the sense that he possessed all knowledge of all things Navy.

From this expertise he began to asked questions about what kind of training they had been promised, what jobs they wanted, what they had heard about basic training, and on what kind of ship did they want to serve.

With each answer given  he would respond with, “”That not how it really is,” or “You don’t want that job,” or “You will not get what the recruiter promised unless it is in writing.”  Not once in his entire conversation did he give one encouraging response like, “Good Choice,” or “You will love that job,” or “You’ll do great.”  He just kept demonstrating his superior understanding of the Navy and devaluing any response a recruit gave to his questions.

He was not even talking to me, but to be honest it was hard for me to listen to what he was saying to these young men and women.  I cannot imagine how hard it was for these recruits, who were in limbo between having signed away the next four years of their life in the recruiter’s office, and the reality of what it is really going to be like once they get to Chicago, to have to pay attention to him.

It must have been too much because one recruit finally said, “I don't care about all that, the Navy is my ticket out of Oklahoma.”  I think this statement was code for, “Thanks bud for butting into a significant transitional moment in our lives and stealing all the excitement, adventure and joy from it.  That is exactly what I need to hear right before I head off to what might just be the hardest eight weeks of my life.  Where in the world were you when I was walking into the recruiter’s office?  Do me a favor, if you run into my mom please do not share what you have just shared with me.  I think she needs to be able to hold on to the hope for my future you have just robbed me of.  Thanks again.”

Now, in fairness, I have not been in the military and so I cannot judge how much of what this guy shared is true.  I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and say it was all true.  My question is this, what good was it for him to share it at this moment.  These recruits cannot go back to the recruiter and say, “I made a mistake and I want to go home.”  They cannot change what will happen to them tonight, tomorrow, or for the next eight weeks.  All they can do, in the strength of their own character, is walk the journey that is set before them.  There is no need to cause them to worry about tomorrow or to regret what they agreed to yesterday.

 Instead, what they needed was to be encouraged and strengthened for the moment they are about to face.

Listening to this conversation made me think about the people who come across our path who are at a significant transition in life that we have lived before.  Maybe they are graduating, getting married, or having a baby.  Maybe they just found out they have cancer,  had a loved one die, or they have just walked through the death of their marriage.  There is always a temptation, especially if we have walked the same path before, to impress them with our knowledge of the situation or tell them what it will really be like.  More often than not this brings very little help and does more to discourage than build up.  This is almost never our intention, but unfortunately, it happens.

What if instead, we simply listened, and when they did not know what to say we asked questions that help them understand what they are thinking and feeling rather than providing an opportunity for us to share what we know.  What if we allowed them to discover for themselves what comes next and we see our role to encourage and strengthen them with words that build them up and bless.  What effect would this have?

I think it could have a powerful effect.  I think it could build them up, encourage them, let them know they are heard and what they think and feel is valued, even if there is nothing that can be done to change the circumstance.  This is more significant than you may know.  It empowers people to walk through difficult situations. It gives them a voice. It makes them feel loved and not alone.

Now that is a great gift to give someone who is heading into a significant life transition.

The man who had come to give all his wisdom finally got up to go and catch his plane, much to the relief of us all.  As soon as he was gone, one of the recruits, a 24 year-old women who's husband is already serving in the Navy, turned to the group and said, “I just received a text from my husband and he said the flight being delayed is out of our control and out of the Navy’s control and it will not reflect badly on us when we arrive.”    With that one reassuring statement, the conversation was lifted and they went back to being nervously excited about what was coming next.  It was exactly what they need to hear.  Once again they shared what was on their hearts and minds and they listened to one another.

I could not help but think to myself, “Good work recruit.”  That woman had leadership written all over her.  I think she will do quite well in the service.  May they all excel at whatever role they are given.

Which would you choose?

Last Sunday I had the privilege to go to church with my friends Mark and Denise in Parker, Colorado.  As part of the sermon the pastor made a passing comment about love, trust and relationships.  I have been thinking about it ever since.  So you can join me in my pondering, I want to ask you this question:

If you had to choose between love or trust in a relationships, which would you choose? 

Now let me just say at the very outset the best kinds of relationships possess both, but that does not mean all relationships have both.  There are times in life and in our relationships that we only get one or the other, and if this were the case in a relationship you have in your life, which would you choose?

Think about it for a minute.

After thinking about it you may want to argue with me and say you cannot have one without the other, but this is just not true.  You can love someone whom you do not trust, and you can trust someone you do not love.  Refusing to accept this simple truth can open you up to a great deal of hurt.

Think about someone you love, or are called to love, but do not trust.  An example of this kind of person might be a family who member who has broken your trust over and over again.  It is always painful when someone breaks our trust, but it is even more so when it is someone one you love.  If they have broken your trust enough you many have had to build boundaries in your life to keep them from wounding you again, and again.  Your heart simply cannot take the risk of trusting them one more time and having it wrecked once more.

Though this may be a sad reality in a relationship you have, it may also be a reality that it does not change the deep seeded truth that you still love them.

Another person who may fit into this category is your enemy.  Scripture is very clear, we are to love our enemies, but if they are truly our enemies, it is important to be able to distinguish between love and trust.  Trusting our enemy might very well bring destruction into our life.  This fact, however, does not negate our ability to love them, to want good for them, and to do good to when we have the opportunity to do so without opening ourselves to being affected by their untrustworthiness.

This kind of love requires a great deal of trust in God, but that is another blog.

Now turn your attention to someone you trust, but may not love.  It could be someone who irritates you, or whom you cannot stand.  It could be someone you would not choose to have any dealings with except for the fact that through work, church, school, where you live, or some other life circumstance you have been thrown together.

Even though you might not choose to have them in your life, you may have made the discovery that they are trustworthy.  They do what they say they will do.  They treat you with fairness, even though you are not the best of friends.  You can count on them to come through.  While love may not be the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of them, you know when push comes to shove you can trust them.  Chances are you have one or even several of these kinds of people in your life.

Given all of this, which would you chose in a relationship love or trust?

Of course I, like you, would want to choose both, but if I could choose only one I would choose trust.

Trust allows me to have relationship with a person, the kind of relationship where we are able to depend upon one another, seek what is good for one another, open to one another without the fear that we will hurt each other.  In fact, now that I think about it, I am not sure you can have any kind of positive, life giving  real relationship unless there is trust.

Love on the other hand, while it may compel me to seek the good for another, does not guarantee the possibility of relationship.  This is true, not only for us, but for God.  Scripture tells us that God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son for us.  There is no greater love than this.  However, even this immense love does not mean that a man will have relationship with God.  Something more is required; faith, belief, or put another way trust.

It is important we recognize this fundamental truth about relationships or we might open ourselves up to great injury.

With those whom I both love and trust I can enter into relationship with full abandon.

With those whom I trust, but have not developed love, I can enter into relationship hoping the trust we share and the association that is made possible will one day grow into love.

And with those whom I love but do not trust, the appropriate response it to seek their good, but not put myself in a position to be wounded by them once again, unless of course, the trust that has been lost has been rebuilt. 

In my experience this takes repentance, admitting the wrong and a turning away from one pattern of life to embrace another.  It also takes a willingness to forgive, and the experience of trustworthiness that only comes with time. Until these are entered into, no real relationship is possible, nor can real trust be rebuilt.  The amazing part is, if two people, for the sake of love are willing to walk this path, restoration is possible.  This is a hard road, and not many choose it.

If I had my way relationships would always possess both love and trust. This combination makes it possible for each person to feel safe, grow, and give selflessly to the other.  Unfortunately, in our broken world relationships sometimes offer one or the other.  It seems to me, given how hard it is to rebuild trust, and given the fact that a mutually trusting relationship almost naturally moves towards love, I would choose trust.

To make this choice it is far less about finding someone whom I can trust, and far more about being someone whom others can trust.  I am not always perfect at this, and so when I break trust I must be willing to go to the other person and ask for forgiveness, and in the process invite the other to join me on the path of restoration.

I have had to do this more often than I care to admit with my wife, my children, friends, and a couple of times with total strangers.  What I have found is their surprise of having someone admit they have made a mistake, broken trust, and ask forgiveness and often it is all a person needs to be willing to take the risk of beginning the process of restoration.   And while this is never as good as having not broken trust, since we all break trust at times, it does provide its own kind of security, knowing that even if we do something that is harmful to a relationship, not only is restoration is possible but also often very sweet.

If we would all be willing to take the first step, maybe there would be no need to choose between love and trust.

Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. – Matthew5:23-24

The Weed

Several weeks ago I found myself setting outside a Hampton Inn and Suites waiting for a shuttle to the airport.  There was a small patio with tables and chairs, so I sat down and began to take in the immediate surroundings.

The patio was encircled by flowerbeds and ivy covered walls.  All of it was quite manicured and beautiful.  All of it, that is, except for this one three foot tall weed that stood prominently in a bed of ground cover.  I could not help but wonder why someone had not pulled it before.

Now to be fair, it looked less like a weed, as you might imagine a weed, and more like a small tree that had found its way there by seed or by shoot.  I have to imagine, because the leaves were so much more pleasant than your average dandelion, that when it first appeared the gardener must have thought it to be a desirable plant and decided to leave it there.

Some time, soon after, this plant began to grow much taller than the plants that surrounded it.  At some point it became quite apparent, whether it is a weed, tree, or some other plant my lack of horticultural prowess prevents me from identifying, this plant did not belong here.

Why is it that the gardener did not pull it up at that point?

My guess, by then he had become so used to seeing it, he no longer recognized it for what it is, a weed.

This can be a very destructive oversight.  A friend of mine told me of a tree that took root in his neighbor’s driveway.  It burrowed its root into a crack in the side walk, made its way under the slab, and under the cinder-block wall.  How long it was there I do not know, but I have been in his back yard and have seen how the root of that misplaced tree has caused the block wall to heave, cracking and distorting it.

I wondered how long it will take for this weed of a tree to crack the patio I was sitting on. Maybe it will never get to that point, but my guess is that it already has put down enough roots that it is going to be quite difficult to remove.  Even when it is removed, those roots may put up shoots elsewhere in the landscape of that hotel, causing the gardener to take time to attempt to eradicate this weed of a tree for years to come.

If only the gardener would have pulled the weed when it first took root and sprouted.

It is the same with the weeds in our life.  Whether it is a bad habit, laziness or sin it is so much easier to eradicate it when it first appears than to get rid of it when it has had time to grow and send out its roots.

Trying to pull it out after it has taken root often only causes it to spread and sprout up somewhere else in our lives, leaving us feeling as it we will never be fully rid of it.

If we give up, and just let it grow we cannot predict the damage it will eventually cause.  Rather than pulling a weed, we may find ourselves having to rebuild the walls of our life.

A week later I spent some time at a friend’s house in Gig Harbor, Washington.  They live in a neighborhood where people take their gardening seriously.  It is a very beautiful neighborhood.  Each day my friend goes out to the garden to pull weeds.  He does not spend hours and hours there, but each day he takes a few minutes to tend to part of the garden, removing any plant that has sprouted that is not supposed to be there.  He said it is so much easier to take a little bit of time each day than it is to wait until the weeds have had time to take over.

Because of his diligence, the weeds never have the opportunity to cause the kind of damage that is possible if they were left to grow.

How is your life’s garden?  Do you pull up the weeds as soon as they appear, or do you give them time to spread their roots and become invasive?  What damage can you see from the weeds that have been left to grow?  What has been the cost?

It is never too late to pull up a weed.  Even if has spread, now is the time to begin to remove it from the fertile soil of your life.

One of the best ways I know of to begin the process is to first find a trusted friend and tell them about it.  It should be someone who is able to speak truth to you, and is able to do it in love.  It should be someone who is not judgmental, but able, because they have done a bit of weeding in their own life, to sympathize with your weed problem.

The next move is to recognize that not all weeds can be removed by our own effort.  We need supernatural help, and being willing to acknowledge the presence of the weed to God and ask him for help is the beginning of eradicating a weed from your life.

Taking time to talk to God and to others about the weeds in our life early and often is a bit like my friend who goes out daily to weed a small part of his flowerbeds.  It keeps the weeds from becoming invasive and destructive.

It is also so much easier than waiting until it is all overgrown.

The Artist

Today I flew into Long Beach from Seattle.  Due to a snafu in ticketing I found myself in row 21, seat C while my wife sat in 13D.  Needles to say, I did not know the young woman who sat down next to me.  She had to either be getting ready to start her senior year of high school or her first year of college. We traded a couple of polite smiles and pleasant nods with one another.  I pulled out the book I was reading and she pulled out a sketchpad.  We then both got lost in our own worlds.

My book was on the how God uniquely forms our souls.  It is a good read and easily kept my attention.  That is why I did not notice what the girl was drawing until I got to the end of a chapter and took a cursory glance down at her sketchbook.  I was amazed at what I saw.  She was working on the hair of what I first thought was a photograph.  I could not help but wonder why she was drawing hair on someone’s picture.  I took a closer look and realized that it was not a photo at all, but a pen and ink drawing.  

(Not Actual Picture, but similar)

She was clearly very talented.

I told her that I was very impressed with her work and I asked her if it was a drawling someone she knew.  She said no, it was someone she imagined. 

What was so amazing was how much soul the person she was drawing possessed.  I could see pain in her eyes.  I could make out desire for something more.  You could see in her face that she experienced hardship, the kind of adversity I could hardly imagine the young women sitting next to me understood. Yet, the way she drew the hair imaged a women who’s harsh expression was only covering up the softness of who she really was. 

All this was formed from nothing more than a black pen, a piece of white paper, and her imagination.

I must have embarrassed her because not long after our short conversation she put her book away and pulled out something to read.

About an hour later, she switched back to her sketchbook and began to draw again.  This time I said nothing, but at the end of each chapter, I took a glance over at her work.

The first time I looked, she had drawn what looked to me to be a caricature of another woman.  It was something I would have expected her to turn into an animated character.  You could make out the expression on the face and had a good idea of what the women would look like, but it was nothing like a picture.

A chapter later, I looked again and saw that she had begun to work on the hair.  It no longer had the feeling of a cartoon, but now looked real.  What I had imagined at first glance as blond flowing hair was now black. She had masterfully woven the stokes of her pen to create the illusion of light bouncing off the black curls.  Though the artist had hardly finished one side of her head and had yet to begin working on the face, I knew that in a matter of time the sketch that lay before her would look as real as the one she was working on earlier.

Rather than turning back to my book, I sat and studied her at  work.  I was amazed at how she patiently made the tiniest of strokes with her pen, one after another.  By themselves, they were just lines on a page.  However, together, they seemed to bend light and give dimension to the hair she was drawing.  It was almost as if she was not drawing, but scratching off a layer of color that hid what was real beneath it.  It was masterful and beautiful to watch.

As I watched, I could not but help make the connection between what I was witnessing and what I had been reading just a few minutes before. 

God too is an artist, masterfully working to reveal what He envisions our souls, who we really are, to be.  We cannot see the full picture.  In fact, it often looks to us more like a random set of scribbles on a page than the patient sketching of the lines that form a beautiful picture that is more real than what we can imagine.

As I watched her, I could not help but think that she is not the only one who had to be patient.  I too had to be patient.  If I refused, and turned away after my first glance of her second drawing, I would have been left with an image of a caricature, rather than the vision of how real the picture was becoming.

This too is true of how God forms us into who we are really to be.  If we get impatient, if we refuse to allow the Creative One the time necessary to draw the lines necessary to bring definition, realism and life, our lives may end up feeling more like a distorted image, a caricature of our real self,  than a photograph of who we were meant to be.

Maybe that is how you feel now.

Be encouraged.  It is never too late to wait for the artist of our souls to reveal to us what is real and seemingly hidden beneath the surface of the paper.

After all, he has already imagined who he intends for you to be, and like the young women next to me on the plane, he has the creativity and skill necessary to bring to life all that he imagines.