Get the Picture?

Ephesians 2:10
At first, I was more amused than embarrassed when I realized I had set off an alarm in the museum in London. Susan and I were on our way back from Israel with our two younger sons and had arranged for a few days of sightseeing. The British have certainly collected some of the most remarkable examples of art from every culture and period in history.

On this particular morning, electrical problems in a wing of the museum made viewing the paintings tricky. Because many of the overhead lights were not working, the historical information on the plaques was difficult to read. Still, the collection was magnificent: row upon row of ancient masterpieces were literally within reach with no visible barrier to protect them from the touch of admiring tourists or malicious vandals. While I certainly had no intention of touching any of these great works, I was enthusiastically gesturing quite close to a canvas when a loud alarm startled all of us and a security guard appeared at the end of the row. Apparently my hand had crossed a laser beam, part of the museum’s security system.

Determined to be more careful, within moments I became engrossed again calling to my family and pointing at another beautiful ancient display of genius. Once again, the alarm sounded. We all laughed, but this time I was genuinely embarrassed. Thankful the security guard didn’t ask us to leave, we went to another part of the museum where we could see the paintings more clearly from a distance.

I am not an artist, but sometimes I see works I feel even I could improve upon. Now, suppose on one of my visits to Washington DC, I visited the National Gallery, brandished a felt tip pen and attempted to alter one of the museum’s paintings. I would be arrested and prosecuted, and rightly so. Suppose in my defense I claim freedom of artistic expression. The court would find this to be no defense, because I am neither the owner of the work nor the artist. My talent would not be an issue. I would be criminally liable for defacing someone else’s masterpiece. Yet, every day in countless homes a far worse desecration of a masterpiece occurs.

Marriage is not an invention of man. Marriage is a beautiful picture designed by God to illustrate the relationship between Christ Jesus and his bride, the church. Your children, neighbors, and associates should be able to look at your marriage and see God’s divine artistry. If we do marriage God’s way, we will find our marriage to be the greatest source of encouragement in our lives. If we don’t follow God’s design, our marriage becomes one more thing pulling us down, one more thing from which we feel the need to escape.

There are no perfect families and to one degree or another, all of us fail in our responsibility to demonstrate the perfect love of God. But the fact remains, regardless of what kind of home you grew up in or what kind of marriage you find yourself in today, God’s love for you is perfect.

God wants to pour His love into your life until it overflows your heart and makes you a channel of His love to others.