It's a new hobby for me, and I'm no Picasso...but I've really enjoyed expressing myself in a new way lately. I've almost finished 3 paintings in the past week. I've also almost thrown away 3 paintings in the past week. By the third, I'd realized a trend....

I start painting with a vision in my mind...a grand idea of what this painting COULD be. Of what I WANT it to be. I am motivated and excited...until about half-way through.

Half-way through my neck starts to ache. My strokes become sloppier. My motivation is gone. That's typically the time I step back, take a look at my half-finished painting and declare...

Or some other variation of the same sentiment. I called one "A MESS" the other "HORRIBLE", and informed my husband that they could NOT be fixed. "What am I going to do?" I said. "I can't give this to anyone! It looks terrible!"

"I never should have tried this", I complained. "I'm not good at this! What was I thinking?!" and in utter despair, I threw a little pity party.

When I woke up, what I thought was a 'disaster' had dried. And to my surprise, it didn't look half bad! The lines I thought needed to be 'perfect', actually looked cute with their imperfections. There were still some rough spots, but then I remembered what my friend Andi told me when I first took up painting...

Isn't that just like God? He is the Artist, and we are His Masterpiece. What we deem a MESS half-way through, is really just a work in progress! And don't forget, if we make a mistake, He can always paint over it...

That's what He does. He REDEEMS the things we've messed up. Every little mistake adds to our character. It's all a part of the finished Masterpiece!

If you're feeling discouraged today, don't throw your hands up and quit. Just remember, when things seem messy, you are just a work in progress!