Monet

There's a line from the movie "Clueless" that has always stuck with me, but I never applied it to myself until today. It's at the part where the main character (Cher) has invited her protege (Ty) to a party and they are watching the snobby boy (Elton) who has rejected Ty dancing with a snobby girl (Amber) from school. Ty asks Cher, "Do you think Amber is pretty?" Cher's response is, "Naw, she's a full-on Monet." At Ty's confused look, Cher explains, "From far away, it's just fine, but up close, it's a big ole mess." For a supposedly ditzy blonde, that's a pretty deep analogy.

Here's where I am going with this. I think I may be a little like that...I think we may all be, but what we don't realize is that it's only at the middle range, when the viewer is a few feet away that they see the "big ole mess." I tend to keep people at a distance. I put up my velvet-covered musem barriers and say "you can only come this close." So, from far away, I look just fine, but then as people get close to me and see the big ole mess, they start to wonder what they were thinking wanting to get closer.

What I have failed to realize and by extension have failed to let people see, is that when you get past the velvet barrier and get really close, practically nose to the canvas, you see the mastery of the Monet. How in the world can someone take tiny splotches of color that seemingly have no distinction and make a bigger picture that is simply beautiful? Those splotches of color are beautiful in themselves. They are the individual experiences and elements of a person's life. They are the details that few people ever get close enough to see and each little splotch is worthy of individual celebration. But it takes getting past the barriers to see those for what they are. There are few people in our lives who can see both the big picture and the beautiful little splotches. Most we hold at arm's length where we're a "big ole mess." Sometimes people's ability to only see the "big ole mess" isn't our fault. Sometimes people stop at that point on their own accord and decide not to come any closer. That's when we feel rejection. That hurts.

Our Master is painting each of us as a beautiful person, perfectly placing splotch after splotch on our canvas until He has a beautiful picture that can not be explained, only appreciated. But, each of us is still a work in progress. We must do our part to take down the velvet barriers and let people past the "big ole mess" stage. But, we must also realize that if they don't want to come any closer, they will miss out on the beauty of the splotches, but then again, that is their own loss. Revel in the beauty God is making out of your life. Don't let the rejection of those who can't get past the velvet barriers keep you from recognizing the hand of the Master who is still at work on you. And if someone wants to get closer, let them. You never know, God could be using them as another splotch to complete your bigger picture. And you theirs.