An Open Canvas

Sometimes, when life is other than blue skies without a cloud in sight, we forget that we have choices; even in those seemingly cheerless times, our life is still an open canvas.

Days come when all we see is a blank slate, and the palette we choose next is white, black, and grey. We settle for a stark reality, content that given the circumstances, why attempt anything more? We forget that even in the worst of times, an array of colors are available to us. Perhaps, it is in these times that we need to raid the paint box, and select a beautiful hue. In the rough times, we need a stroke of cerulean blue, lemon-yellow, or maybe, cadmium orange.

When we create a vision board for our lives, we don’t pencil in the ‘trauma’ we may find along the way. We don’t accentuate the health problems, or the heart-breaking details we see in the news. We don’t think about heart-break of any kind.

A vision board is for our dreams. We use every color of the rainbow. We select our favorite things to highlight. The set-backs, hard-knocks, or the miscellaneous difficulties we might encounter are off-limits. Oftentimes, these very things are par for the journey. The set-backs may even have something to teach us.

I have a vision board for spring. The board is full of gardens, bursting with daffodils. There are pots of flowers for the deck, and hanging baskets for the porch. When I gaze at this board, there is so much to look forward to. It is a wonderful way to anticipate spring with all those little seedlings waiting to break through the winter ground.

Some of these ‘visions’ may, or may not, come true. Still, I place them on the board anyway. There are roses growing up a trellis. They are the color of apricots, my favorite color of roses. There is a she-shed with a cozy nook where I can read my books. And there is a very comfy chair just for me. Before long, my she-shed becomes a tree-house, and I also have a swing. Why not? I can keep adding things, and I can keep dreaming up new ideas.

Our dreams and visions extend well beyond the garden; our dreams and visions create the very fabric of our lives. It is what gives meaning to our existence and what brings joy to our days. Again, not every dream may come true; clearly, it is working toward fulfillment of our dreams that matters.

When the hard times come, and trouble finds all of us at one time or another, it is imperative that we remember who we are and still focus on our vision. And when it seems the most difficult, it is then we must try all that much harder not to give up.

There is one ‘vision’ that trumps all the others. Wherever we are, and whatever is happening, God is with us. There is no greater visionary than our heavenly father. In His hands, a canvas is never really blank; it is always an on-going work of art. It is his love that transforms the portrait of our lives into something magical.

Sometimes, when the paint on the canvas seems to blur, and the picture that we see is imperfect in our sight, it is then that our Lord is the most busy. He holds the paintbrush steady, and reminds us of what really matters. Keep your mind and heart on a ‘vision’ most holy, the face of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

God is love and in the end that is all that really matters. The portrait of your life is safely in his hands, sticky paint and dabs of color we cannot begin to understand. The portrait is bathed in a beautiful, incandescent light. It is the light that has come into the world and overcome all darkness; it is the light of Christ Himself.

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”