Spilled Paint is a Beautiful Mess
“Be flexible.” Those were some of the words spoken to us before ever stepping into our mission trip. Because let's face it we have our plans and the Lord has His. We have our expectations and tell the Lord what we want to do and He redirects us to His ways. That is what happened to my friend on this recent mission trip. My friend, who has a gift of decorating, cooking, is basically the DIY mom who arrives on the scene of a mess and can make something so beautiful out of it. I’ve tasted her baking and seen her craftiness many times so when her “job” for the day was painting a trailer this kind of took me back. The other jobs that I thought she would pick were ones that fit her skills perfectly and this one didn’t seem to fit her yet she said she would be open to whatever was needed.
“So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.” Isaiah 30:18
The morning she went to paint was really cold and she hated the cold. The trailer had no electricity along with it being cold so this was something that she started to question doing that morning. And right out of the gate she spilled a huge amount of paint on the trailer floor. Her immediate reaction was disbelief and she muttered the words, “Why did I choose this? This was not my bingo card.” It was at that moment one of the women on the team walked over without a word and handed her a paint scraper to scoop up the mess. No words, just the love of Christ.
God had a plan that day for my friend. It was much bigger than the physical job He was giving her. It was showing her when she continued to trust He would show her love and compassion. Her assignment wasn’t a surprise for Him, it was an assignment He was waiting to show her how He could meet her in that mess and turn into something beautiful. Even as she was being flexible and obeying that spilled paint was reminding her of how difficult it is when we step out of our comfort zone. But the friend he placed within her path was showing her that He could show her love and compassion and that He was faithful.
That night after reflecting on the day of painting she was kind of bummed that the painting left her only with a couple people as the other jobs were around the community. She was hearing the stories of other people showering moms to be and going into the schools and once again questioning her assignment from the Lord. She heard the Lord tell her, “Be patient” as she continued to hear the stories of other people who had been surrounded by other people on their jobs. Patience is what she kept hearing from the Lord. How could her job witness to others as she was in a trailer and the owners weren’t around her? When she spilled that paint she wrote a message in it. “Smile God loves you.” Little did she know that not only was the Lord showing her patience was going to be seen but the message itself was speaking in a way she could have never imagined.
The next day was her turn to do something she loved. Hair. Not just fixing hair but getting some girls from a recovery center ready for a prom they would be going to that night. As she was settling into her love of doing hair a phone call came. That spilled paint with the message, “Smile God loves you” was found and the couple were calling to tell her how much that meant to them. The couple on the phone found the message and told her, “I love you.” She couldn’t have even imagined the blessing she was going to receive that day. Not only in the love of doing hair, encouraging women, and loving them but in that task she never wanted to do. The spilled paint turned into a more beautiful mess than she could have imagined. It not only allowed her to be the Hands and Feet or Christ she received the same love of Christ through the mess.
Seasons of waiting. Surrendering our timelines. They can produce something within us that shows us when we wait God comes to us and ushers in His love and compassion.
God gives us seasons of where our trust can grow. He isn’t interested in fixing our problems. He is after something so much deeper. He is interested in meeting us in it all.
She would have missed the blessing if she was just waiting for God to fix the problem. She would have missed the blessing if she had just chosen what she desired instead of stepping out of her comfort zone. She could have missed the blessing if had not listened to the Lord when He kept speaking, “Be patient” to her heart. But she didn’t.
Don’t miss what the Lord wants to do in the mess.
What if right in the middle God is doing something in our waiting?
“But those who trust in the LORD will renew their strength; they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not become weary, they will walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
No comments:
Post a Comment