Sunday, October 30, 2011

Picture Perfect

Jeremiah 1:5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

You are unique.
There is no other person in the world who is exactly like you.

God treasures us as individuals. He has a specific purpose and plan for each of our lives which may be different from others. I read this and thought it was pretty amazing so I'd like to share.. enjoy :)

Imagine that you're a student in art class. You and dozens of classmates are learning from a master painter. One day your teacher displays a painting of his own. It's an incredible work of art, and he wants each of you to copy it.
You're about to begin working when you turn to look at the person next to you. You're surprised to note that he has a larger brush than yours and a differently shaped canvas. You look around at the rest of the class. Some students have acrylic paint, others watercolor, still others oil-- and everyone has different colors. Though you all have the same assignment, you each have completely different materials.
This frustrates you. Some students have materials you would prefer for yourself. Why should they get them? You're not the only student to notice the disparity. A hand goes up. A girl to your left with only a ragged brush and three pale shades of blue on her palette is noticeably agitated. "This isn't fair," she tells the teacher. "How do you expect me to duplicate your painting when the people around me have so many more colors to choose from?"
The teacher smiles. "Don't worry about the other students," he says. "I've carefully chosen the brushes and paints that each of you has. Trust me. You have what you need to complete the assignment. Remember, your goal is not to create a painting that mirrors the person next to you, but to do your best with the materials I've given you to create a picture faithful to my painting."
God isn't asking us to copy each other, but to fix our eyes on our Lord and Master Jesus Christ and to give all to our romance in a way that's faithful to His character and motivated by a passion to bring Him glory.
Our circumstances don't always seem fair, do they?
In moments like these we need to trust the Master. We can each rest in the knowledge that GOd is sovereign over our life's situation. No matter where we are today or what mistakes we've made in the past, He has given us everything we need to glorify Him right now.

--section from Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris