The Reveal

Ever wish you could see the future?

It's an ability no one has (except maybe a prophet, and there seem to be very few--if any--these days).

Maybe the closest we get to being able to see the future is to watch or listen to an artist perform. Creators like Bob Dylan, Steven Spielberg, Steve Jobs, and Elon Musk always seem to paint the future before it happens(ed). But these people aren't gods, or prophets, or prognosticators... they're finite, human, just artists.

This clip of a french artist on local television is from years ago. I find myself captivated by the unknown future of what he is creating. Right in front of my eyes, he paints a picture... but I cannot see what it will become. Finally, a face emerges... but there is no definition, no clarity, no color until...

The Reveal.

Suddenly the artist throws shimmering sparkles on the blurry background. And then I see what was in the artist's mind all along... and it's beautiful. Something godly happens when an artist meets a blank canvas, and radiant sparkles reveal the future. The reveal is breathtaking.

But what if the artist had never dusted the canvas with glimmering sprinkles? Without them we'd still only see a ghost on a black square waiting to be set free and that is less beautiful and more haunting.

I've always felt that the "sparkle" that reveals beauty in us is the mystery of God's Spirit. As you know from my blog, I carry the viewpoint that all of us are artists of one kind or another--whether it is the ability to show great patience with a screaming child or great excellence in our area of the workplace or great vision for the future we hope to create for our lives. All of us have the opportunity to make something beautiful everyday, but not all of us know that we can access a shimmer outside of ourselves which reveals our true inward beauty (and makes those watching say "wow"). Even more tragically, most of us feel (or have felt at some point) trapped in a holding pattern waiting for the future we hope will be beautiful but not being able to see/know that it will actually occur.

I'm not the best artist in the world. Actually, I can't draw at all--just stick figures and two-dimensional shapes. But I know when I set out to accomplish a vision, to see a beautiful future... I cannot go it alone. The Reveal I'm longing for in my life is dependent on an outward force, a mysterious selflessness, and a powerful sparkle that is available to me (and all of us) if only I will dream out loud. That's what I call prayer. When I say to God's Spirit, "I want my life to count for something beautiful, and I'm afraid it won't ever happen without Your help." And then, a conversation begins... a reveal before The Reveal, that leads me towards the future with hope. Hope reminds me that my dreams are living things--even if they've faded. But those dreams must be propelled from my mind onto the canvas of life, and pursued with intentional humility. As capable as I would like to believe I am, I am nothing without The Creator's influence upon me.