We expect God to come in the form of peaceful hymns, Easter Sundays, or quiet retreats. We expect to find God in morning devotionals, church suppers, and meditation. We never expect to see him in a bear market, pink slip, lawsuit, foreclosure, or war. We never expect to see him in a storm. And we most definitely do not expect to see him in an outhouse. But it's in an outhouse that he did his finest work this month. It is in an outhouse that he captured my keenest attention.
I love to paint. It's one of my favorite things to do. Whether it be painting a picture, a mural, or a wall. Elaborate portraits, abstract paintings, or solid colors. It helps me express myself, focus on what's in front of me, and realize what's around me.
I'm standing in the doorway of an outhouse, that is no longer functional. As I look out into the field, I think to myself "it would be so easy to tear this thing down and discard the scraps… why am I painting it?" However, what seemed, at the time, to be a completely pointless task is exactly what I needed. I continued to stare into the field that surrounded me and the outhouse. I continued to think; I closed my eyes…
(Have you ever closed your eyes and turned your head towards the sun? When you keep your eyes closed, splotches of color fill the insides of you eyelids. A rainbow of sorts.)
… I closed my eyes and turned my face to the sun. And I was reminded of God's UNENDING promises. Specifically his promise to Noah.
"I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth… This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come. I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."
Genesis 9:11-14
God makes and never breaks his promises. That's beauty. My beauty in the outhouse.
