God's Canvas
/
“When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established.” Psalm 8:3
I enjoy sunrises, sunsets, clouds, blue skies and sunshine. The sky has been filled recently with amazing clouds through all the storms with some of them being so dark as they race across the sky. My favorite clouds are the white fluffy ones where you can use your imagination to see unique shapes of animals and even people. I enjoy the sunrise during my morning runs as the horizon awakens to the morning light. God is an amazing artist. It is being grateful to God for loving us so much that He creates this beauty for our enjoyment and pleasure.
Recently, I led a seminar on “Living Life Forward” and shared one way to release anxiety and stress was to go outside and look up. I asked the participants what do you see when you look up and one person responded, “God’s canvas.” I like that description. Each time we look up, God paints a different picture. Each sunset and sunrise is different. The colors vary in intensity. There are numerous shades of blue and clouds have a million different shapes.
When we look up, all we see is what God created. It allows us to breathe and let go of the things of this world for a moment and reset. It is getting lost in the beauty and awe of what God has painted and designed. Looking up helps us to restore and refocus. We tend to get lost in the things of this world and the tasks that loom large in front of us. Pausing to look up reminds us that God’s got this and worry and anxiety does not need to be in control.
Looking up also connects us to the One who created the world and created us. It feels like I will see a glimpse of God if I keep my eyes looking up. I feel a sense of freedom that this world does not weigh me down. It is as if God is painting grace across the sky and writing mercy on every streak through the sky.
Recently, when I looked up, lightening filled the sky. It was like daylight breaking through the night. Storm clouds raced across the sky, lightening flashed and then the thunder boomed. It was an intense storm, but it felt like God was showing off His power and might. I thought about “the fear of God.” It is a reverence and respect for God. While God is a loving God who gives us grace and mercy, God is a powerful Creator.
The storm reminded me that God brings good and also hard times. We do not like the hard times and cannot understand why certain things happen. There is no earthly reason. Why the storms? The storms are part of God’s canvas. They are weaved into the fabric of creation. We do not like the storms in our personal lives and question the purpose. We may never know the answer to our “why” questions, but we know God is still in control. God is still painting His masterpiece in the sky and in our hearts.
We are God’s canvas, too. God created each one of us. We are all unique and different in looks, personalities, gifts, and experiences. Some days the good comes through, and others see and feel the love of God through us. Some days, the struggles of life weigh us down. These are the times we need to remember that the God who paints His grace across the sky also showers us with His grace and mercy.
Let us go outside or look out the window and look up to remind us that God is the greatest artist who also gives us freedom from the worries and struggles of this world. God gives us moments to pause and breathe in His love and mercy. The world is not in control; God is in control. God gives us freedom from the anxiety and worry if we will but trust Him and look up.
Pause the worries and the technology and look up. Slow down your life and your mind and linger in God’s masterpiece. Take some deep breaths. Thank God for the beauty, the peacefulness, the release of the worries, and just relax your thoughts and your body. Give yourself some quiet time, some moments, and some grace.
Keep looking up.
