I have had some inspired reminders from friends about being an artist. To them goes my heartfelt thanks. You guys are great! This reminded me about an old post I read just after I wrote my last post.
The Touch of the Masters Hand
'Twas battered and scarred, and the auctioneerThe struggle I have had has made me feel pretty worthless to be sure. So this old post was another good source of inspiration. The scripture my friend gave of:
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin,
But held it up with a smile: "What am I bidden, good folks," he cried,
"Who'll start the bidding for me?"
"A dollar, a dollar"; then, "Two!" "Only two?
Two dollars, and who'll make it three?
Three dollars, once; three dollars, twice;
Going for three—" But no,
From the room, far back, a gray-haired man
Came forward and picked up the bow;
Then, wiping the dust from the old violin,
And tightening the loose strings,
He played a melody pure and sweet
As a caroling angel sings.
The music ceased, and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low,
Said, "What am I bid for the old violin?"
And he held it up with the bow.
"A thousand dollars, and who'll make it two?
Two thousand! And who'll make it three?
Three thousand, once, three thousand, twice,
And going, and gone!" said he.
The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We do not quite understand
What changed its worth." Swift came the reply:
"The touch of a master's hand."
And many a man with life out of tune,
And battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A "mess of pottage," a glass of wine,
A game—and he travels on.
He's "going" once, and "going" twice,
He's "going" and almost "gone."
But the Master comes, and the foolish crowd
Never can quite understand
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought
By the touch of the Master's hand.
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."
(2 Timothy 1:7)
is also amazing. It reminds me of a quote often attributed to Nelson Mandela, but is actually from Marianne Williamson:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful
beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves,
Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You
are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened
about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine,
as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just
in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other
people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others." (A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course
in Miracles", Harper Collins, 1992. From Chapter 7, Section 3)
which is another great quote about who we are and what we can do to better ourselves and those around us.
We, or I, see ourselves too often as the crowd does though. And the cruel and thoughtless crowd no less. I am grateful for fellow artists who understand the true measure of our souls, who also know of the test of life that is specific to an artist. One specific to artists in our time as well as to artists who have faith in Jesus Christ. Even when that faith is tried near to breaking. We all bear the challenge after we leave the cradle of our school years and go into the professional world.
Well. I am grateful that I am remembered. I also am glad that I received real posts instead of spam! LOL. Hopefully I have managed to block most of the spam. Some crazy ideas out there. I am off to do some artwork and watch "The Empire Strikes Back". I will always be doing more than dabbling in art. Take care everyone. And thanks for the support Mike and Andrea!
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