Ruining the picture..

When I was little..

I remember watching reruns on PBS..

Of this man who would teach you how to paint..

(yes, I was that awesome)

I don't remember the name of the man or the show..

I do remember he had the most wonderful fro..

And he always painted outdoor landscapes..

I remember watching him paint..

And thinking..

Wow, that's beautiful.

The painting can't get any better..

And then much to my dismay he would start painting a red blob or something..

And I would scream

(yes, because if watching someone paint on Public Television didn't make me cool enough, yelling at the TV did)

"STOP... YOU ARE RUINING THE PICTURE"

And then to my surprise he would make a beautiful tree out of that red blob..

And I would think..

Wow, now that picture looks perfect.

And then he would do something else...

That would infuriate me..

He would add something else to the picture..

Which of course would make the picture look even better..

It always happened...

Just when I thought he should stop..

Just when I thought that the picture was as good as it would get..

He would change something..

And I would realize..

He knew what he was doing..

He didn't ruin anything...

He made it better than I could have imagined..

In real life I find myself doing the same thing..

Thinking that something is the best it will get..

Getting comfortable..

Happy with how things are..

And then something changes..

And I think..

This isn't right, it's ruining everything..

And then I realize after awhile...

Nothing was ruined..

The end result is better than I could have imagined...

The picture was made better..

By the Artist..

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Ephesians 3:20

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11