Paint-By-Number

Hey guys! Even though I'm the one writing this, Lauren and I conversed about it before posting, so this post actually comes from the both of us.
Do you remember when you were little the color-by-number pictures your parents would give you to keep you busy? My parents gave me a lot of those. It kept me quiet, and I was always fascinated by them. I mean, at the beginning, it didn't look like anything, but when you were done, it was some cool picture! Who wouldn't find that fun at five-years-old?
I once heard a story about a boy whose father made them his hobby, except he worked on the huge, intricate paint-by-number canvases. The boy would sit on the basement steps and quietly watch his father labor over these pictures for hours, filling in each space with its specific color. Sometimes, it would take him several days to finish just one of these elaborate paint-by-numbers. But, when the father would finish with one of the pictures, he would look at it with pride, place it in a frame, and hang it in a place of honor. Then, he would begin another. The boy would look at his father's finished paintings in awe. At first glance, they didn't always seem perfect, but the boy knew they were masterpieces. Each was a masterpiece, not because of how elaborate or beautiful it was, but because his father had put so much time, effort, patience, and love into making each one the way it was supposed to be made.
Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Our Father has created us all as masterpieces, His masterpieces. We may not always seem perfect, but God put a lot of time, effort, patience, and love into making us the way He wanted us. We are all very special masterpieces in God's eyes and in His Son's eyes, as well.

Shining for Jesus,
Sarah