Alike, Yet Different

Our style, our learning curve, our personality,  and our perspective were all uncovered when we decided to paint a Christmas picture.

One of the fastest growing franchises in our area are painting venues.  Each has a different name, but the same idea.  You pick a picture you want to paint and come for a painting party.  They promise no experience needed.  My gift to my two new mothers was for the three of us to have a mother's night out.  They chose the manger picture to challenge  our creative side.

We were seated toward the back.  Rolls of fellow painter filled the room.  We had our own roll, our own blank canvases,  our own painting aprons, our own brushes, paint and easel.

 (even the selection of aprons shows off their personalities..you see the one in the messiest apron, well that is her.)

 If you were a fly on the wall you would see each of our personalities unfolded though this painting mother's night out.   My view point was different from my daughter and daughter-in-law's, and that seemed to be appropriate.  They both had a full view of the instructing artist for the evening, I, however, couldn't see the canvas or the instructor's hands at work, I could only hear her voice.  They followed through the visual, I followed through the verbal.  The instructor would direct  how to use our brush, what paint to apply and then would show through her own painting.  All you had to do was follow instructions!!

My daughter, in her style, would laugh and just go for it, applying layers of paint.  My daughter-in-law would concentrate, apply paint with reserve and would stand back and look at her strokes.  I would work more from past experience and the verbal instruction and then check myself by seeing the example of the artist finished work.  My daughter joked verbally through the whole process, while my daughter-in-law and I were very quiet.

There were times we weren't sure our paintings would look good.  You could even see how our strokes varied, if you applied with a light hand or a heavy hand.  As the painting continued each person in the rooms paintings began to look different and yet alike.  Their personalities were coming out through their paint brushes.

I saw I had to wear my glasses....life!!

As we finished our individual paintings I thought, look at all the lessons here tonight.  We all are equipped with our own brushes, paints and instructions for painting our journey called LIFE.  We each chose how we will learn, how we will listen, how we will apply instructions and the amount of pressure we apply to our journey of life.  Some of our stokes can be seen as they are heavily applied, while other strokes are blended together with varies colors of life.

The three of our Baby Jesus in a manger pictures were displayed in each of our homes through the holiday season.  

Alike, Yet Different

That is LIFE!

 May you enjoy the differences in everyone around you, as they paint their own picture of LIFE!

May you also allow the Lord to use His brushes on your own canvas.

For me, I believe 2015 is going to be a time in which God blends some of the heavy strokes I have applied on my canvas of life, and in their places, He will gently blend them, in order to bring Him glory.  As long as I allow the true artist to join me on this journey, then my canvas will reflect Him.