THE MASTER ARTIST

It has been said; "A great painting comes into existence as a result of both talent and judgment. Talent is needed for that which is put on the canvas, and Judgment is needed to determine that which should be left off". The casual visitor to a gallery will see only the images which appear, somewhat appreciating the tones and hews, the lines and balance; but the initiate will seldom understand those distractions which have been selectively eliminated by the artist in order to keep your attention from being drawn away from the main theme or those unnecessary strokes which might have caused the painting to look cluttered.

As the experiences of life shape and mold the sculptures of our Eternal Souls, this same principle of selectivity is administered by the Master Artist as He touches our lives with unseen strokes of developmental refinement. While it is a rather simple task to chronicle what seem to be the major events of a life and an outside observer can attempt to list another persons strengths and attributes in a well written eulogy, it is almost certain that the casual observer of another's history will seldom see nor understand the polish of life's passage added or eliminated by the hand of the Master Artist – touches which were needed for the finishing of this one unique and special work of art – The Eternal You. There will be special marks on the sculpture which He gave to you alone, there will be strokes that were never part of your creation because He knew they weren't needed to make you whole, there will be emotions that you alone were able to feel, there will be moods that you never had to experience, there will be habits that you needed to acquire and there will be compulsions you never had to fight. When the sculpture is finished, the Master Artist will look at you with pride and declare, what a beautiful Eternal Soul.

The ways one uses their agency will determine what they become. When coupled with following the Master Artist's example these will add a great deal of sheen and polish to the finished piece. When we resolutely leave a negative out of our lives, we may by that single act be doubling or tripling the time we have available to cultivate an eternal noble character. By refusing to give in to a debilitating habitual desire we may be adding a strength which may become outwardly observable only after years of painstaking polishing.

The good life, the meaningful life, the truly successful life will come as a result of those events we choose not to become involved in, as well as those things we must choose to do. It will not only be the moments of grandeur and public acclaim which shape us, but also the quite moments when we and the Master Artist alone – together are doing the shaping.

Jesus the Christ is the Savior of mankind not only for His moments on Calvary and in the Garden of Gethsemane, but also because of the moments He spent alone on the Mount of Temptation. He was profound when He delivered His sermon on the mount, but equally as eloquent in His silence in the court of Pontius Pilate. His parable of the Good Samaritan gives meaning to our acts of charity as we read his words of praise for the helper of the downtrodden, but the unspoken condemnation of the Levite and the Priest pierces everyone of us who has gone his way because of the demands of a busy life. His resurrection unto the Glories of the eternities gain a degree of reality as we read the testimonies of the Twelve who witnessed his ascent, but the veil of agency allows us the freedom to make those choices which can help us become fellow witnesses.

Each day as life's experiences imprint the necessary strokes under the guidance of the Master Artist, smoothing the rough edges from our primeval stone. We need to be mindful that a misplaced chisel would be better unstruck if the resultant blow were to cause everlasting damage to our Eternal Sculptured Souls; that some strokes are not only unnecessary, but their absence will eventually add to our Eternal Glory and eliminate much of the clutter and confusion of the passage.