Stripes

The painting here was produced last Wednesday evening by the young people who attend Adventure Club at our church. It was the last night of Adventure Club till they resume again next fall. In addition to the usual program, there was an art show and a dinner. The art show included contributions from the congregation, and it was interesting to see all the various ways in which creativity is expressed. I was invited to lead this art project. (CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

You'll find it interesting how the kids produced the painting. I'd brought Susie's paints (a near infinite variety of colors) and fifteen brushes of various shapes and sizes. Each of the children, from ages three to twelve, was instructed to choose a color and a brush, then to paint a stripe on the 2' x 3' piece of masonite which I had prepared for this purpose. They were not told where to paint the stripe nor how thick to apply the paint. (One goal was to make sure the paint didn't end up on their clothes!) In about 45 minutes we had the painting you see here.

During our church service this past Sunday I used the painting to illustrate some truths during a "children's moment." I shared the process by which the children did the piece, and I commented how it thrilled me to watch the children make their choices, from colors and brushes to location on the painting. I shared how God, too, takes delight in watching us and enjoys seeing our creativity, hearing us sing, all that we do to bring beauty to the world.

Then I asked one of the children which stripe she painted, and she pointed out the stripe second from the top. When I asked if she knew who painted the other two stripes on the sides of hers, she didn't. She had only been paying attention to her own stripe. There were two applications here. First, our lives touch many other lives in ways that we are unaware of... or in this instance, our stripe of color is adjacent to other stripes, touching them whether we were aware of it or not.

A point I could have made, but I didn't want to be too much of a downer, was that we often live our lives caught up in painting our own stripe while remaining oblivious to those around us. Even when we're with others, we often talk instead of listen.

So, today as you march into the foray, be aware of the colors all around you. And note that your own color, whether vivid or muted, is a wonderful contribution to the whole that is your family, your workplace, your community.