30 April 2007
This past Sunday I had the chance to visit a church that is a part of the Vineyard Churches network. It was a new experience to attend a church where I was not in the minority, as most of the members here are missionaries, UN workers, or workers with other non-profit organizations. It was also surprisingly refreshing to have worship in English. At the end of the service, a man stood and wanted to share something with the congregation. He explained that as he was praying earlier in the service, the Lord gave him a picture. What he said spoke to me and I wanted to share it with you here. I will write it just as he said…
I saw a huge canvas that stretched as far as I could see in every direction. It was bigger than anything I’d ever seen. The canvas was covered with lines outlining specific areas like the paint-by-number sheets we used to color as kids. Each section was marked for a specific color. All along the canvas were people painting. They each used different tools, some used very small brushes great for the detail work, others used larger brushes making wide strokes of color, and still others used huge rollers. Each painter had his specific section and specific color. I could see that some people had been painting for a very long time, years even, while others had just begun. As I stood there close to the canvas painting my section all I could see in every direction was painters painting. I wondered what it was that we were painting. Then I was taken away from my section of the canvas so that I could see it in its entirety. It was then that I got a glimpse of the bigger picture for the first time. The canvas being painted was not quite finished, but it was a beautiful, exquisite depiction of the Bride of Christ. The colors were more vibrant than I’d ever seen, the detail was amazing! It was then that I heard the Lord say to me, “Keep painting.” Sometimes we get tired of doing the same thing over & over – we tire of painting only green on one section of the canvas. But the truth is that we are part of something so much bigger than what we can see, realize, or understand. God has a plan – He sees the bigger picture. Your role in composing this masterpiece may seem small, but you are valuable and without you, it will be incomplete. You are called to be obedient in serving the Lord in whatever way He has called you to. So press on! Persevere. God has a plan, and all the while, a beautiful piece of work is emerging. He is preparing His Bride as in Revelation 21 where He tells us of the New Heaven & the New Earth. All the painters are waiting for that day in which the canvas is complete & all will see God’s glory!
We are starting our last week of ministry here before heading to the coast for a few days of debrief. Thank you so much for your prayers as we wind up our time here. Please continue to pray that God will help us bring closure to relationships and have sweet fellowship with one another. I miss you guys and hope all is well in your world.
Much love,
Kayla
