Layers

An artist had started on a new painting.  He had laid the base coats, shapes, and colors.  Things were beginning to take shape.  I’m sure his confidence in the outcome was stronger now than in the days before the canvas had been stretched.  The paint layer was still drying when an experience overwhelmed everything – including the past and unfolding dream.  I wish I could have been a video fly, watching and experiencing everything.  Something happened that was so extraordinary that everything imagined, planned, and considered paled in comparison. 
 
The contrast to how I live my normal day is stark.  In my focus on the goals at hand, the critic is far too close to the mark.  “You've seen a lot, but looked at nothing.  You've heard everything, but listened to nothing.”  (Isaiah 42.20)  I only see what I want to see, not what is.
 
The artist had it right, always be aware.  Be on the lookout for the experience of the moment at hand.  Be ready for the Spirit’s conversations.  Be open to the thing that could change everything – plans, work in progress, and even committed goals.
 
The ways this plays out comes through in life’s ordinary events.  I was out shopping with Cherry and something triggered a new thought, approach, and idea.  I caught myself locked in an old framework, unable and unwilling to change.  She couldn’t understand my unwillingness to let go.  For whatever reason, I stood my ground.  Sadly, I found myself reflecting later on a lost opportunity to share part of life’s journey.
 
Today reflects a canvas under construction, with many of the colors, textures, and shapes already taking place given yesterday’s work.  Some of the early progress is now maturing and it is possible to see our dreamy intent now taking shape.  As important as the steps we have taken are, the place we are at is even more important.  Everything pivots on this moment in time.  It is a wonderful opportunity to be open, to experience, and to make a difference.  Take advantage of what is, building on what was.