This masterpiece, created in the 1630s, is an example of the difference an expert can make with a painting that has been damaged over time, whether harmed accidentally or intentionally.
The lefthand image shows the original artwork after years of neglect, while the image on the right reveals the beauty of the original painting, following restoration efforts by the museum where this lady is exhibited.
Author Randy Alcorn has said, “God doesn’t throw away His handiwork and start from scratch–instead, He uses the same canvas to repair and make more beautiful the painting marred by the vandal. The vandal doesn’t get the satisfaction of destroying his rival’s masterpiece. On the contrary, God makes an even greater masterpiece out of what His enemy sought to destroy.”
In the case of this painting, the enemy was time. In the case of my life, and perhaps yours, the enemy usually is our own poor choices, also known as sin. Perhaps the damage to your life has left serious scars, or maybe it has resulted only in seemingly hidden aches and pains. Either way, the result may have nearly destroyed you.
But the good news is that, unlike the museum expert, God can do much more than simply restore the original. He makes His masterpiece–you–even better!
Scripture makes it clear (adapted from the Amplified Bible):
“For we are God’s handiwork, recreated in Christ Jesus, that we may do those good works which God planned beforehand for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].” (Ephesians 2:10)
Are you allowing God to restore your life and make it into the new and improved version that He intended?
