I painted a labyrinth this week… We are setting up some interactive prayer stations, and one of those stations is a labyrinth. For those who are interested, a labyrinth is different from a maze because there is only one path that takes you to the centre, no dead ends. Its an inevitable journey with only one destination although lots of twists and turns. So I decided it would be a good idea to make one.
I bought a dust sheet that would be big enough and looked up online how to draw one. Then I got a paint can to mark the middle and drew 6 circles in crayon. Then I marked the extra ‘vertical’ lines that would mark out the path. And after that took me a couple of hours and much frustration, I got out the fabric paint. I started to paint over the crayon lines so that it would be permanent.
Did you know, dust sheets aren’t paint proof? I lifted the sheet to find paint on the floor underneath (fortunately, a hard cleanable surface…) So I had to put some waterproof sheets underneath before I could continue. Needless to say, this relatively simple task of following instructions became a rather frustrating task with lots of lateral thinking needed. And the end result isn’t perfect. But I am satisfied with it. I know there are mistakes, but it will serve the purpose, and looking at it I feel a sense of achievement. It’s not bad for 1 person, some fabric paint/pens and a dust sheet.
The point? It reminded me of two things I heard a couple of years ago about God and us. One was using the imagery of a child drawing a house with a garden and trees. And it’s not a work of art. It’s a little messy, and that might be a dog in the picture, or it might be an alien… But the point is that a loving parent may stick that to the fridge. And that’s like God. When we proudly present him with our work of art, out masterpiece, which to him is like a child’s crayon drawing of a house, you can bet he will smile broadly and stick it to his fridge. Well, I’m sure he would if he had a fridge… The point is, he doesn’t look at it critically and point out all the flaws. He doesn’t say its not good enough, rip it up and throw it away. He takes pride in what you do and loves to celebrate achievements and creations.
The second thing I heard was a story of someone painting a room. And their small child helped them. In their own way, with not tidy strokes, they enjoyed ‘helping’ paint the room. And when they were finished, both parent and child stepped back and looked at the room. And the child said, “Look at what’s we’ve done, isn’t it great!”
Now the child only contributed a little, and it was probably painted over by the parent when the child wasn’t looking, but the parent didn’t contradict the child. Instead they celebrated together about a job well done. Together.
God is like that too. We work together. What we contribute as we love people and pray for people and serve people is like what that child contributed when painting the room: it’s a little messy, but it’s our best and done with good intentions. And God is like the parent. He will celebrate what we have done and enjoy working with us, even though he doesn’t need us.
Because he is about relationship. He’s about growth and creativity. He is a proud parent who loves us. He sticks our drawings on the fridge with fondness and he looks at the painted room and smiles down at our helpful contribution. Because that was always the intention, right back in Genesis. We would walk together and work together.
So I guess what I’m trying to say is give yourself a break if things aren’t perfect. Have you tried your best? Could you have done better? God loves you because you are you, not because of your work. And don’t be afraid to try things out. Don’t be afraid to offer help to God. He doesn’t need it, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t want it. And at the end of the day, he will look down at you and your small contribution to his kingdom, and say, “that’s a job well done.”
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