A Masterpiece Covered in Mud

Say you're walking along the street one day and looking down you spot a Rembrandt painting in the mud. It's not just a little dirty either; it's covered and the sun has begun to bake the mud onto the canvas and the frame. What do you do with it?

Well, you certainly don't throw it away because it is filthy. You know it has value and worth. But, you don't just try to clean it off either, because you would probably destroy it. You have to take it to a master who can slowly, carefully restore it to its original splendor. In a sense, you look through the mud to see the masterpiece.

The Bible has some interesting things to say about who we are as people and also what state we are in. Listen to this:
- For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - Ephesians 2:10 (emphasis added)
- All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; - Isaiah 64:6 (emphasis added)

Sound familiar? We are God's masterpiece! But our sin leaves us figuratively covered in mud. The reason that Christians often become judgemental is because we see things the other way around. We see the mud and forget the masterpiece. When we meet new people we often think, "Well this needs to change, and they really need to stop living together, etc." instead of, "There is someone God loves, how can I love them the same way." This is a great value for us in our Life Groups and it is a great challenge for all of us:

Look through the mud, see the masterpiece.

Inspiration and ideas for this post were taken from No Perfect People Allowed by John Burke.