Volume 28, No. 19
June 1, 2003                        

Picture Perfect

   Fernande Olivier was young and poor when she went to live with the great Spanish painter Pablo Picasso.  During the seven years they were together, the artist painted many portraits of Fernande but she thought them unflattering.  In 1912, she moved out, taking no momentoes except a small heart-shaped mirror.  She never saw Picasso again and died in poverty in 1966.  A few years later, a cubist painting of Fernande sold for $790,000.

   That story is the very picture of how many of us respond in our relationship with God.  It begins when we come to him out of need, or a sense of awe. Young in faith and poor in spirit, we recognize the greatness of God, even if we don’t fully understand or appreciate his work. At first, most of what we know about the Artist is based, not on personal experience, but on  how other people respond to what He does.

   But as we’re drawn closer to him in a more intimate relationship, the One who sees to the very core of our being paints our portrait in a bold and compelling way that goes well beyond what we see on the surface.  He reveals what’s deep inside, illuminating, refining and defining the reality of who we are, and what we can become, without the posturing and pretense that so often obscures the truth.  The Artist portrays our essence, not our image.

   The Psalmist understood.  “O Lord, you’ve examined my heart and know everything about me,” he marveled.  “You know my every thought... You know what I’m going to say, even before I say it.” (Psalm 139:1-4).  But for most of us, that’s precisely the problem.

   So when God draws the broad strokes of our true character and deftly sketches in the shadings and subtleties of our deceptive hearts, we seldom like the result. Even when He paints a portrait of who wecan become, we often find the picture unappealing.  Sometimes it’s because we don’t see ourselves as He does, or because his vision doesn’t reflect our dreams and expectations.  Or perhaps, more than we’d like to admit, our self-image is rooted in “the behaviour and customs of this world.” (Romans 13:2). “Be honest in your estimate of yourselves,” Paul warns, “measuring your value by how much faith God has given you.” (v.3)

   The truth is, most of us gauge our worth by a far more worldly standard, one that’s much more exciting than the quantity and quality of our faith.  So, over time, his spiritual perspective begins to look dull and uninviting, even unflattering. If our disappointment and impatience grow deep enough, we leave God.  Sometimes the parting is obvious, but often we leave while still walking into the church building three times a week, like a proud man stripped of his job who can’t bear to tell his family.  

   Yet, no matter how we move away from God, most of us take with us a memento of our time with him, a heart-shaped mirror of who we are and could’ve been. Our Bible becomes a poignant reminder of our past, instead of a reflection of our future, which is why we seldom look at it.  It’s just too painful.

   Unless we listen to the call of the Holy Spirit and let him lead us back, we live in spiritual poverty, empty and alone but grieved for by the God who never stops loving us. No matter how far we leave him behind, his faith in us never falters.  He pictures us, not just with our faults and foibles exposed, but with our promise and potential expressed in the confident, flowing lines of his love and grace.  Each of us is his masterpiece of possibilities.

   As such, we are priceless works, our worth and value based upon his artistry and not upon how well we respond to it.  But respond we should, recognizing his awesome ability to bring meaning and purpose to our lives.  So “let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.  Then you’ll know what God wants you to do... Be glad for all He’s planning for you.” (Romans 13:2,12)

   And He is planning, sketching out the choices that will colour your life and turn you into the likeness of his Son.  You already look absolutely beautiful, when you’re seen in the right Light.

By Rick Gamble, published in Cross Current, the weekly newsletter of the Followers of Christ congregation in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.  Reprint at will in not-for-profit publications.  To subscribe, contact sgamble@bfree.on.ca