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Let’s talk about what we think we see.

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Look at these two images.

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A duck or a bunny?

A young woman or an old woman?

There is more going on than what we THINK we see.

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“For the heavens are higher than the earth; so My ways are higher than your⁺ ways, and My thoughts than your⁺ thoughts. For as the rain comes down—and the snow—from the heavens, and from there it does not return until it has quenched the earth and made it bring forth and sprout, that it may give seed to the one sowing and bread to the one eating, so is My word that goes forth from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty until it has done that which I delight, and it will prosper for that which I send it.”

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Isaiah 55:9-11

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Let’s go a little further.

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Let’s look at some classic art.

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But not just any classic art.

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Murals.

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Murals are “the big picture.”

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Artists, like Pablo Picasso and Michaelangelo have created some breathtaking, famous murals.

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For instance, Picasso’s “Guernica.”

‍According to Wikipedia’s site, this mural measures11 ft 5 inches tall and 25 ft 6 inches across.

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It’s a large mural.

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If you were to see it in person, you would need to go to the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid.

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And, if you saw it, in person, and got REALLY up close and personal TO the mural, you might see something like this:

‍What are you looking at?

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It’s hard to tell. And not just because Picasso typically painted noses is places where ears should be.

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It’s because you are too close.

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You are “in it.”

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You cannot see “the big picture.”

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You need to step back, even step away, somewhat, TO SEE it.

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernica_(Picasso)

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Now, let’s go to Italy.

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There’s some great art in Italy. And The Sistine Chapel is at the top of that list.

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“The Sistine Ceiling,” created by Michaelangelo, according to Wikipedia’s site,is approximately 12,000 square feet, 131 feet in length and 43 feet wide. It is divided into nine panels depicting scenes from the Book of Genesis, including the famous “Creation of Adam.”

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www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel_ceiling

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Michealangelo worked on that sucker from 1508 to 1512. And because, well, he was painting A CEILING, he had to paint it on his back.

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(I can only imagine his back issues).

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Anyway, like the mural “Guernica,” if you were to get up close and personal TO “The Sistine Ceiling,” probably hoisted up there with some crane and a seated swing, you would only see a small fraction of the masterpiece.

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Like this…

‍ Again, what are we looking at?

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Is that a foot? An arm? A woman wearing blue?

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It’s hard to tell.

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We cannot get the full impact of Michaelangelo, unless we are back down to earth, looking up at the ceiling.

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“The Big Picture.”

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See the difference?

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See Through a Glass Darkly?

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“Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.”

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1 Corinthians 13:12

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Then We Shall Know?

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It’s maddening.

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We want to know the answers to the questions we have right now.

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And life- and The Most High- don’t operate like that.

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“The Big Picture” requires that we await the telling of the entire story, the telling of our entire life mural.

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That does not feel comfortable or comforting, does it?

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We ARE His Workmanship…

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“For we are His workmanship, having been created in יֵשׁוּעַ‎. Ha-Mashiach

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(Christ Jesus) for good works, which YHWH prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

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Ephesians 2:10

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WE are the ultimate artwork of The Ultimate Artist.

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Our lives, yes, our murals. They are a lot to take in.

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It’s hard to see the complete picture, “the big picture.”

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Nevertheless, they are being beautifully painted right now.

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“Being persuaded of this very thing, that the One having begun a good work in you⁺ will complete it until the day of יֵשׁוּעַ‎. Ha-Mashiach (Christ Jesus).”

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Philippians 1:6

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Let’s pray.

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Abba,

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I come to You, through Our Shepherd.

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Your only begotten Son, Our Savior, יֵשׁוּעַ‎.

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You know the pain and the difficulty that is my life.

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It’s hard for me to see what exactly is going on.

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You know I’m confused, disheartened, anxious, and wanting so many answers.

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Forgive me for not turning to You.

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I know that You have created my life for a purpose, even if I don’t understand what that is.