I have loved calligraphy for years and really went to Randall's workshop to learn some of his techniques for applying paint to canvas. I came away very inspired but something happened that I really had not planned on. Because he adds life to his paintings with people, I found myself wanting to paint people, portraits in particular upon returning home.
But how to go about this? I had painted one portrait (tried is the operative word here) and sketched one bust of JFK when I was a teenager. So you get the drift, this is NOT something I do.
I reviewed what knowledge I had about getting better at something.
1. Wanna play piano--take lessons, practice piano.
2. Wanna be good at football--learn the game, practice every day.
3. Wanna paint portraits--practice painting portraits.
So I set out with determination at the start of last week to choose a painting, to paint it every day until I noticed a likeness, choose another painting, start again.
So I chose one of Randall's paintings of a man in deep, painful thought.
And I painted and I worked so hard.
Yes, after many attempts and working and working and reworking, taking color out, putting color back in, etc., I noticed an improvement and yes, maybe someday I really will be able to paint portraits if I work hard enough.
But when I put it up beside the real thing (Randall's painting on the left), I see just how far short mine falls. Oh, I like it, I really do and I think it is almost good--but a sound critique from me would notice that Randall's looks like a real man, not like a painting--mine definitely looks like I tried to paint a man's face.
All that to say this--all week long as I was doing this, I kept thinking about how much time do I spend trying to grow in Christ's likeness. Am I determined to be like Him? Would anyone mistake my actions for His? Am I changing some each day to look more and more like Him?
This prospect of growing to be like Him can be a little overwhelming when we consider our sinful ways. However, there is good news--God promised that He would finish what He started in us.
He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:
We can trust Him with this, we know that--but it stands to reason that the more we comply with His teachings, the more time we practice His presence, loving Him, treasuring His Word and truly glorying in His company, the more rich this journey will become and the more we will start to resemble Him.
He longs for us to imitate Him so that we can reach out to a lost and dying world and they will know, in us, they have seen the face of God.
