A Clean Slate

I’ve been penciling in “PAINT!” on my daily calendar for some time now… and erasing it, postponing the activity for another day.  It’s become almost an obsession: I need to find time to paint.  I’m constantly seeking inspiration, and I’m desperate for a few uninterrupted hours!

Yesterday, I didn’t erase it from my day.  I pulled my palette out of the freezer and stared at the frozen leftovers of paint from my cotton candy skies over an Emerald Coast beach.  What a mess!  During COVID, I painted like mad in all that unscheduled time!  However, I never took the time to clean up between paintings.  I re-used color mixes or scraped away a little spot for a new color mix.  Now, my palette was covered completely with splotches of old, dry paint, and a few gushy blobs that might have had a tiny bit of fresh painting hiding inside if I probed it with my pointy knife.

I was past due for a clean slate!  I whipped out the razor blade, rubbing alcohol, and paper towels and got to scrubbing and scratching.  Then I actually pulled the glass piece out of the palette box and tore off the painter’s tape that I put on each edge in blind obedience to my dear teacher, Beth Dean.  It was super sticky because it had been there so long.

I re-taped the edges and stopped to take a picture of my clean slate.  It may not look like much to you—that plain empty space—but I see the start of something NEW.

Do you ever feel anxious about the busy-ness of life, the ups and downs of relationships, or the uncertainty of the future?  I’m wondering if I may offer someone hope through my experience yesterday with washing away the old paint and envisioning something new.  

As a young person, I made a mess of my life, wandering from what I knew to be right at times and then trying to get back to where I knew I needed to be with God.  One day, I had had enough of doing life my way, and I gave it up to the Lord.  He forgave me, covering my sins in His blood, and He washed me in the waters of baptism.  Then He filled me up with His Spirit, creating in me something new.  I’ve never been the same!  At times I have forgotten that I can trust Him, and I’ve tried to take the reins of my life from Him, making a mess of everything.  When I slow down and reflect, He is faithful to show me that palette of my own mistakes, and He cleans it off as soon as I acknowledge my shortcomings and ask for His forgiveness.

My prayer for you today is that you would find the same joy that I’ve found.  He loves you and wants to make something new of your life!