The Master Artist

I'm going to be honest here. Some may think that life as a missionary is wonderful and happy all of the time. I mean, how could one not be happy when they are sharing the wonderful message of hope that the Gospel brings?  But truth be told, life is just as difficult as a missionary as it is for a mom, a doctor, a plumber or a college professor.  Of course, whomever is reading this blog could insert their own adjective there.  The fact of the matter is that life is just hard sometimes.  There are good times and there are difficult times.  I know that sometimes I think of how wonderful life would be if I could just have pleasant experiences my whole life.  Why do I need pain? Why do I need opposition?  I often have to remind myself of a scripture in the Book of Mormon that addresses this very same issue.  This is taken from a portion of the Book of Mormon where a father is talking to his son, Sam.  Sam has been relentlessly tormented by his brothers because he wants to do what's right in God's eyes, rather than the worlds eyes.  There are loving words of comfort from his father Lehi, which were undoubtedly inspired by the Holy Ghost, that can answer those deep questions that we all tend to have at one moment or another.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.  Wherefore all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.  Wherefore, it must needs have been created for a thing of naught; wherefore there would have been no purpose in the end of its creation.  Wherefore, this thing must needs destroy the wisdom of God and his eternal purposes, and also the power and the mercy, and the justice of God.  And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin, ye also say there is no righteousness.  And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery.  And if these things are not there is no God.  And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon." (2 Nephi 2:11-13. Pg. 58)

Therefore, it is a NORMAL and expected part of life to experience opposition and trials, for it is the only way we can experience and cherish the joys of life. The question, then, isn't why me?  Instead, it should be, what now?  How can I find joy in this struggle I am facing?

"I think... that every life has peaks and shadows and times when it seems that the birds don’t sing and bells don’t ring. Yet in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result." -Joseph B. Wirthlin

During a most difficult time that I faced this past week, I took a good look at the beautiful scenery around me. For the first time in 3 months, I actually looked at the beauty around me. What a beautiful sight!  How could I have missed the beauty all along? 

The answer was humbling and much needed. I wasn't finding joy in the journey because I was so focused on understanding WHY rather than accepting God's will and trusting that He has my best interest in mind.

I sat in the truck looking at the scenery go by, and feeling like a child who just seems to have to learn the same lesson over and over again. At the realization of my lack of trust and faith, I asked for a fresh start. I asked to understand God's purposes for me. Why am I in Montana?  Why would God need me in a place where there are more cattle than people?

Then I thought of a time when I was watching a painter, Bob Ross, on the television.  He had spent a lot of time painting this beautiful mountain. Then, for a reason I had yet to understand, he painted a dark and ugly mark covering part of his beautiful creation. I was upset because I thought that he had messed up everything.  I could not comprehend how he was going to fix this eye sore.  Despite my lack of understanding, the artist confidently began to add more colors and strokes to the black glob which blocked the mountainside.  Much to my amazement, I found that he was creating a forest. With patience, I began to see beauty unfold.  Instead of an unsightly mess, I beheld a beautiful forest that contrasted the mountain in a way so as to highlight the beauty even more.  I couldn't understand it! What I thought was a mistake, turned out to be a skilled artist who had the whole picture in view- not just a mountain.  With his training, he knew that when things are contrasted, they are even more beautiful. 

This is the very painting that inspired me many years ago

I never expected at that moment, that I had learned a valuable life lesson from this artist. Over time, I have thought back to that moment. What I thought was a simple art lesson turned out to be a profound life lesson. I have come to realize that my life is just like that canvas.  However, the one painting on me is the master artist, even Christ.

 Sometimes we only see a stroke of paint. To us, it may appear out of place or ugly. However, we need to trust the master artist who has a plan to create a beautiful masterpiece. We may complain or think that He is making a mistake. But I know that when we look back at the canvas' of our lives we will see that the dark strokes contrasted the lighter strokes, creating a work of art more beautiful and breathtaking than you ever imagined. God is the master artist. He can only make our lives beautiful if we let Him take the paintbrush. We need to trust Him.