Fingerpaints or Masterpiece

I was disappointed last night. I watched the Super Bowl awaiting with great anticipation a great game and the much hyped commercials. The game did have its own drama as the momentum shifted from one team to the other on many occasions, yet it still left me empty. (Probably because neither of the really important teams were playing, like the Colts or the Bears!)

And as I think of the commercials I have to ask, where were the funny ones? I was expecting to be blown away with creativity, rather I was bored with mediocrity. I kept flipping channels (It's a guys preogative to use the remote as much as possible!) just to see if there was something else of greater interest. The Super Bowl didn't meet with my expectataions this year.

Ever seen a child's fingerpainting? The simple strokes and shapes, the creative use of colors. Few of us would ever critique such a painting. We'd just admire it and tell the child what a great painting it was. In my office there is a place I keep just for pictures that children color or paint for me in Sunday School or at home. It is fun to receive these special gifts.

But what if Monet's medium had been finger paints? What if Rembrandt had tried his hand instead of his brushes? Would we think the same of them? O sure if we had a fingerpainting by Rembrandt today, it would sell for millions. But what if all his paintings had looked like a child's? We wouldn't even know who he was. There is a difference in expectation. A painting by a child is supposed to look like a child painted it. A painting by a more skilled person is supposed to have a different quality.

The same can be said of a Christian. There is a time to fingerpaint, and there is a time to work on the masterpiece. If we are still fingerpainting, we're not growing up. Maybe it's time to pick up a brush and begin painting on a grander scale. We're not children anymore. God's expectations for us change as we grow. Fingerpaints just won't do anymore.

The author of the book of Hebrews uses an image such as this to describe the basics of our beliefs. It's good to have a solid trust and understanding of the basics and a life that reflects these basic beliefs. "But there's so much more. Let's get on with it!" (Hebrews 6:3, The Message). The journey we are on demands that our roots of faith grow deeper so that our lives like a tree can grow ever taller and wider. There's an expectation that our faith will grow and that our influence will too. We never get to the place where we "make it" as a Christian. The destination is not some level of behavior or even simply the kingdom. The destination is not heaven, but the journey is the destination. And God expects us to be making progress and not detoured or stopped along the way.

"And now I want each of you to extend the same intensity toward a full-bodied hope, and keep at it till the finish. Don't drag your feet. Be like those who stay the course with committed faith and then get everything promised to them." (Hebrews 6:11-12, The Message)

Peace ><>
PC