Make Your Masterpiece

A priest recently sent me this beautiful reflection about creating your "painting of life" for God. It was given by a Swiss guard about his son's drawings. He said he gave his son a box of crayons and the little boy would ask questions like, "what do you want me to make, and what color do you want me to use?" The Swiss guard, however, responded to "use all the colors," and it's not about the drawing being something specific, but the fact that his son makes it for him.

The Swiss guard was articulating that our relationship with God is like this. God wants us to be creative! He wants us to use all the colors we are given in life...sometimes these are bright colors and maybe sometimes they are dark colors....but the point is to keep drawing...and to draw for Him. The Swiss guard said we are given gifts and challenges in life, which is analogous to our box of crayons.

He said he kept asking God about his life "what do you want me to do?" until he realized that God simply wanted him to direct his life toward Him and then choose freely from that. As he quoted JP2: "you get to decide." I love the final statement he says we should offer God at the end of our lives..."into your hands Lord, I give this painting that is my life."

As Father told me, "get drawing!"