Creating Your Masterpiece

What makes a masterpiece?

While researching this question, I came across two common components in masterpieces of all genres: skill and creativity. Skill makes sense, because the artist must know what he or she is doing. After all, masterpieces rarely happen by accident. Creativity is another no-brainer. A masterpiece is unique and interesting, never boring.

Have you ever thought of your life as a masterpiece? What if you could create your own life, choose all the circumstances in which you'll find yourself, write your own autobiography before life even happens; produce the music of your life and place every note where you want it; paint the colors of your past, present, and future? Do you think you would create a masterpiece?

A couple of weeks ago I came across a metaphor during a devotional that I think has helped to put life into perspective, or at least a better perspective than I previously held:

Think of life as a piano: the white keys represent the good things that happen, while the black keys, the sharps and flats, represent the bad. To produce a true masterpiece, you need both. Unfortunately, in real life, we don't get to be the musicians (or else we'd probably use fewer black keys). Sure, some of our poor choices might lead to darkness, but I believe in a God with a will. I don't always like His will; in fact, right now, His will really stinks. But if His word is true, and I believe it is, then all these black keys right now are contributing to something awesome, something I can't even imagine.The components of my masterpiece are faith and doubt, joy and pain, patience and frustration, love and loss, just to name a few. I don't know what my Creator is doing; I can't fathom His wisdom and creativity, but I know one day I'll appreciate the black keys of my life.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing" (James 1:2-4).

Perfect and complete? Now that's a masterpiece. Remember: life isn't supposed to be easy. It's hard to accept the pain and suffering that sometimes flood our hearts and minds and bodies. And this life on Earth is all we really know. But scripture makes it plain and simple as to how we should treat these black keys—with joy and gratitude. Again, easier said than done, I know. But if we could all somehow focus on the wonders to come, maybe our pain would weigh less. A simple solution, but a difficult task to complete.



I'm still working on finding joy in my troubles, and I know I have to figure it out myself. But if you've struggled with this too, please share your wisdom. You never know who might benefit.

Simplicity isn't so simple—Take Two

"Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn."--Romans 12:15 (NIV)

Scripture tells us to share each others' joys and sorrows, so it ought to be that simple, right? Try telling that to the person who is mourning while many around them are rejoicing. Don't bother telling it to me.

I badly want to follow this command. It seems so simple. But there's nothing simple about it. Ideally, you follow orders from your God and get rewarded, at least in the end. But God did not make us simple. We are "fearfully and wonderfully made," according to Psalm 139:14. That can't be simple, can it?


I'm welcoming myself back to the arena. My last post in this series was September 4, 2014, and I have no clue as to which struggles I was referring. Since then, life has grown ever more complicated in my household, heart, and mind, and even more painful. This isn't to say that I haven't learned anything from life and marriage in the last few years, but that knowledge and pain are woven together, "for with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge, the more grief" Ecclesiastes 1:18.

Honestly, I'd prefer less knowledge right now if it meant less grief, but hopefully the reverse of this concept is true as well. In fact, 1 Peter 5:10 says this: "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you."

I hope no one who reads this thinks that I am stronger than in reality. At this moment, my weakness is in my faith, but I am hanging onto hope by a thread. My struggles are very private, but maybe in time I will reveal more in hopes that someone will benefit from them.

In the meantime, I always welcome comments, encouragement, and comic relief.

Peace and Patience,