(This one brings back a sweet memory of my mom, who loved me unconditionally and supported all of my “creative” ideas and projects through the years. She always saw the beauty in me. This will be our first Mother’s Day without her. If you are missing your mom like I miss mine, I pray you find peace and comfort this week when you celebrate her in your own way.)

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”                                                                                      Ephesians 2:10

A while ago, my two best friends and I discovered one of those painting places – you know the studio where you sign up for a class and an instructor leads you through painting your own masterpiece. We enjoyed our first class so much, we decided to go a second time. 

Armed with a basket of refreshments and set to enjoy our time together, we settled in for our lesson. The materials we were given to work with were different than the last time and it didn’t take long for us to realize this was a watercolor class … yikes! Not exactly what we had expected. 

In case you aren’t familiar with painting using watercolors, they are very difficult to work with as an amateur. The color spreads through the water you add to your paper – many times in very unpredictable ways. We didn’t let this dampen our spirits though. 

Being adventurous, we gave it our best shot. The instructor had already sketched out the design on our paper and each of us struggled to stay in the lines as we tried to mimic her developed technique.

I quickly learned less is more – a little watercolor goes a long way! I had to use towels to dab up the excess water until I began to develop more control over how much I was using. I also learned it was a messy process. The colors don’t stay neatly in the lines where you intend. They bleed into each other. Some areas became too light while others were too dark. 

My friends and I joked about how pitiful our paintings were. We also laughed about whether or not we would be able to display these works of art anywhere. These paintings were nowhere near the masterpiece of our first venture.

I remember laughing and telling everyone I would give mine to my mom just like when I was little. Certainly, the woman who gushed over a heart made of macaroni and construction paper would see the beauty in this pastel puddle in front of me. She’d love it no matter what.

I also remember how we encouraged one another. I looked at my work and saw only flaws, yet I looked at my friends’ work and they looked strikingly similar to the sample painting – just wonderful!

Afterward, I did share the painting with my mom. She loved it! I framed it for her to hang in her home. Only after completing it with a frame and hearing my mom’s approval did I recognize the beauty in my work.

This experience with watercolors and the lessons I learned that day parallel my life in many ways. It has taken me many years to understand that less is more and excess is not best. Also, life is messy. My life gets so messy that I can’t see the beauty close up. I look at the lives of others and wonder why mine isn’t as wonderful – oh, how deceiving that thought is. 

Just like my painting, in life it helps to step back, put a frame around it, and take it to the heavenly Father to realize the true beauty of it all.

You know … it is a masterpiece – life – as cluttered and messy as it gets. As long as you leave it in the hands of the Master, it all comes together: unique, colorful, beautiful.