I had a painting party fundraiser before Labor Day weekend and it was so much fun. Under the direction and supervision of Memphis artist Katie Cook Toombs, who just happens to be an old youth group friend of mine, we created masterpieces.
We have beaming faces in this final picture but we didn’t start off this confident and proud. Nearly all of us started sweating at the sight of the blank canvases in front of us. We didn’t know where to begin. We gazed upon Katie’s beautiful samples and thought there was no way ours could possibly turn out like hers. Nervous laughter dripping with self doubt echoed throughout the room.
Katie’s first instruction was simple enough: “Place a dot of paint on the center top portion of your canvas.” It’s amazing how easily this little phrase sent a group of adults into a frenzied state of deliberation and hesitation. She was immediately bombarded with a myriad of questions: How do I know exactly where to put my brush? Does anyone have a ruler? Is my dot too big? Have I already messed this up?
For nearly four hours, Katie doled out endless amounts of paint, praise, patience and encouragement, showed us how to repair our paintings when a brush stroke went awry and valiantly coaxed us through the final steps. At last, we stopped to marvel at our unique creations. Some were brighter than others, some were thicker than others but they all were just beautiful. And it all started with just one little dot of paint and trusting that with proper instruction we could complete the task free-handed.
As a kid, free-handed projects terrified me but I LOVED paint-by-numbers projects. I would go to great lengths to make sure that I never strayed outside the lines. I would locate and paint every 1 before moving on to the 2s and wouldn’t dare think of changing things up and using my own color combinations. I took pride in the fact that my work was without blemish; it was exactly how the paint-by-numbers creator had intended it to be. Of course I sacrificed originality since thousands of other type A grade schoolers could produce the same result. And since the end was clearly outlined from the start, I also allowed myself to stop dreaming. I may have had control of the brush, I may have followed the rules, I may have even produced something that was aesthetically pleasing but I sure didn’t experience the thrill of stepping out of my comfort zone or the joy of creating something vibrant and exciting.
In his book Wide Awake, Erwin McManus writes, “Life is not a color-within-the-lines project; life is a work of art. You have to keep mixing other colors, creating new blends, and seeing things in fresh ways. You must be willing to get paint all over you. Life is about growth. Growth demands change. Change requires humility. Sometimes you need to bring change. Sometimes you need to be changed.”
I have no idea what the next 11 months will look like but I know that I will be changed. The blank World Race canvas I’m currently staring at makes me sweat a little, but I stayed comfortable and stagnant for far too long. I am stepping out to make the first brush stroke. I am saying yes Lord, I will go. It’s going to be a messy, dirty process and I’m sure to get outside of the lines at times but I know that the Lord will create a glorious masterpiece with my life. He is the ultimate Artist and I delight in the fact that He calls us to have more than a paint-by-numbers life. I can’t wait to see what color He will use next.
*Thanks to everyone for taking the time to come paint with me. A special thank you to Katie Cook Toombs for conducting the first Art and Soul fundraising party on my behalf and for turning all of us into artists. Check out her blog at www.artandsoulparty.blogspot.com.
