Create a Masterpiece of Your Life
Arnold Bennett is quoted as saying: “The real tragedy is the tragedy of a man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort, who never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature. To lie down and moan and whine about limited opportunities is the part of weaklings. To grasp the opportunities at hand and walk forward is the way of the strong.”
It is fascinating to me that so many independent sources have arrived as of late with the same basic message. Create a masterpiece of you life! The latest messenger came in the form of a talk I was asked to give at church about living the abundant life. The formula I found was a three part formula.
- Drink deeply of living waters
- Fill your heart with love
- Create a masterpiece of your life
That's it. First you have to center your life to a fixed and true point. It is impossible to navigate this earth without fixed and true points to set your bearings to, I can't imagine why we'd think we could navigate our lives without first setting our bearings to a fixed and true point. Christ is that fixed and true point as far as I see it. By drinking deeply of His words we can find peace in a tumultuous world. I find faith and hope because of Him. Both faith and hope are necessary if you want to be able to live the abundant life for very long.
As I have experimented on this formula I have found that out of a study and pondering upon the words of Christ, a desire springs up in my soul to want to love others as he loved and loves. I find myself trying to give others the benefit of the doubt. Finding patience for their follies and errors as I hope others will afford me the same luxury. As I fill my heart with love, love's sister gratitude shows up, because where love is gratitude will flow as well. Gratitude sets the stage for the creating of one's masterpiece.
To me creating a masterpiece of your life starts with getting clear on exactly what it is you want your life to be. Of course, like any masterpiece you can think of, the goal will be revised and refined as the process progresses. I believe that at a very young age we get a glimpse of what our life could be as we dream. Then we let our perception of reality build a fence around our lives, cutting us off from the dream that at one time seemed so sure. So, breaking down fences seems to be the first order of business, once we've revived our dreams. Gradually we can, with God's help, tear down the layers of growth that years of neglect built up around our lives. That hedge that seems to make it impossible to reach our dreams, can vanish quickly and much more easily that we at first may have though possible.
The biggest deal to me seems to be semantics. For some reason we pick up the goofiest meanings for words that shape our perception of what is possible. Addressing how we define key words can be the first step to clearing the cobwebs and sharpening the tools that will allow us to cut through all the false evidence appearing as real (or f.e.a.r.)
