PAINTING BY FAITH

          If you have been reading along with us, you know that one of our favorite morning devotionals is “Jesus Calling” by Sarah Young.  We have promoted and given many of these little books as gifts and those who use them find these short messages very helpful in their daily walk with Jesus.

          Recently, we have been asked to share our testimony with small groups and some occasions are repeat invitations that require us to tell our story in new and fresh ways.  Every pastor knows that feeling!  That’s who we are, pastors.  You know, pastors are “shepherds of a flock.”  Though you may not realize it, so are you.  From the board room to the laundry room and all points in between, people tend or care for and influence others.

          We call you “commercial ministers.”  Bill often says the largest untapped, unrecognized and underappreciated pulpit in America is in the marketplace.  Christian CEOs, civic leaders, entrepreneurs, principals, classroom teachers, custodians, secretaries and waitresses (to name a few), are called to the frontline of responsibility in their spheres of influence.  We have ALL been positioned by God to fill a pulpit in the culture we live and work in. 

          For some of you, considering yourself as a “pastor” is a new concept.  I remember when my spiritual Dad recognized me as a pastor in my workplace.  My initial resistance was short lived and I accepted my call, which is just another word for an “invitation that required a response.”

          There were other invitations to ministry life even when I was not walking closely with Jesus.  A statement in the devotion for March 11 in “Jesus Calling” reminded me of such a time in my past.

          “Walk by faith, not by sight.  As you take steps of faith, depending on   Me, I will show you how much I can do for you.  If you live your life too safely, you will never know the thrill of seeing Me work through you….The issue is not your strength (ability), but Mine, which is limitless.”

          In early 1995, I hopped on the back of a motorcycle to travel Route 66 from Texas to California with my former husband.  What an adventure and a way to see our country!  It was an adventure alright.  We spent about three months at a small motel property in Morro Bay, CA named “Adventure Inn.” 

  Upon arriving, we sensed that things were chaotic for the new owners who were trying to open for the summer season by Memorial Day.   Owning a second property, taking care of a new baby and having an emergency appendectomy had slowed their work to a halt. 

      There was a lot to be done and we pitched right in. Once the owners discovered I could “paint,” their goal to commission me to paint their mural became the topic of almost every conversation.  This central coast area was well known for its murals and even claimed a notable mural society.  Never mind that I had never painted a mural and didn’t know the first thing about how to go about it, what kind of paint to use or how to grid the image onto the building! I should add that the owner was set on having a ship with masts and I had never drawn any such thing! 

          The day of departure came and my soul could not abandon the mural.  Even though I was insecure about the how to and fearful of climbing the scaffolding, I committed to the project.  Next I did the research and made decisions for products and tools. 

          I rolled the wall with three values of blue for sky and water, sketched in the ship freehand with a sharpie marker and drew the masts using a broom handle as a guide.  I had many curious onlookers and even more questions from more experienced muralists. “What kind of paint are you using?”  “How did you project the image onto the building?”  “You didn’t use a grid?”  “How long have you been painting?” “How many other murals have you done?”

          Every day, someone from this little fishing hamlet came to see or photograph my progress.  One was an elderly gentleman who sometimes just came to sit in his antique car to watch my efforts.  By the end, we were friends and he gave me a ride over to Morro Rock in his fancy car.  Others in the community monitored my progress.  Ramona from the donut shop, Glenn from the kite shop, and Abba from the Pacific Café were all neighbors on the Embarcadero who prospered from the mural activity.  So did the squirrels at the docks where I took my daily break with sunflower seeds. 

          I’m sharing this story because my response to the invitation to paint the Morro Bay mural at Adventure Inn on the Sea was the most entertaining and exciting thing that had happened in that retirement community for awhile and certainly, in the lives of some of these people.  Overcoming my insecurities and committing to the mural gave another soul a small measure of joy.  Life giving, and after all, isn’t that God’s purpose?

          I was not walking with the Lord at all during those days.  I recognized that God had given me the talent to paint and I did give Him credit for painting through me. I still marvel at what I accomplished!  Over that month’s time, the mural was completed in only 17 actual working days.  I didn’t paint on Sundays and there were a few foggy days.  What I realize now when I reflect back is that God was not as concerned with my ability as much as my availability in the culture I lived in to “fill the pulpit” where He had positioned me.

          The murals of all our lives are yet incomplete and yes, they are definitely guaranteed to be adventures! 

“If you live your life too safely, you will never know the thrill of seeing God work through you.”

Sarah Young

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