Waiting to See the Masterpiece

Last night on "America's Got Talent" I watched this awesome performance. (Skip to minute 1:15) 

Then, this morning I decided to go on a sunrise run. It was 6AM sharp and the sun was just beginning to rise over my neighborhood. 

  I ran, but found myself captivated by the could patterns. As the sun rose higher the clouds started to appear like brush strokes across the sky. 

Brush, swoosh, swipe....

I couldn't take my eyes off the creation -- His creation. I was running right through the middle of a masterpiece...

But I couldn't see the big picture, only seemingly random strokes here and there...

Some moments the painting looked dark and gloomy...

Other times bright and radiant...

Out of breath from running, but still praying aloud, I asked, "Oh, Lord, what are you painting? Where do I fit in? Why can't I see the whole picture?"

I was reminded of the painters on TV last night. I couldn't see what was going on in their painting either. It looked disconnected, messy, meaningless, and right before the reveal, it went black. 

It wasn't until I saw the other side, that I had full knowledge and clarity. 

God tells us the same about His masterpiece. Today we can see brush strokes, corners, and partial images. Sometimes it looks messy, disconnected, and eerily dark; but soon we will see the other side.

 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 1 Corinthians 13:12