The Master Painter

The Master Painter

 On arrival at city municipality offices to register a car, I was disappointed to find a long queue winding inside and meandering out through the door. Thank God, it was moving fast. In no time, I was at the counter. The attendant was very friendly but only collected my papers for submission and gave me a number. I quickly knew why the queue was moving so fast.

For my kind of service, I was number thirty-five. As soon as I sat down in the waiting area, number thirty was called. Thirty-one was next, followed by thirty-two. When thirty-four was called, I was already sitting at the edge of my seat- ready to go next. But all I heard was, "Thirty-six!" Stunned, I immediately queried why they had skipped me. The attendant gave a vague explanation and told me to be patient. Unamused with having to wait longer, I sent a text message to a friend complaining about how my patience was running out. My friend replied, "Maybe God is using this opportunity to develop patience in you." I was definitely not expecting a sermon but appreciated it anyway.

Realizing the wait might be long, my eyes wondered on to a man painting the office ceiling. The painter looked at the surface before skillfully selecting the right size of brush with which to paint. He painstakingly used smaller brushes for the edges of cornices or chandeliers. For spacious places, he carefully lifted a roller brush from the container of paint and moved it expertly back and forth leaving a beautiful coat of paint on the ceiling surface. On some parts, he moved the brush slower than on others depending on some criteria upon which he regularly paused to check compliance. Not completely distracted from registering my car, I seized the opportunity to go express my frustration to a different attendant. To my shock, he told me my never was never skipped but instead accused me of not paying attention when the number was called.

Whatever really happened, the experience illuminated to me how we are God’s workmanship - his precious and priceless work. He treasures us and through everyday life experiences is carefully designing us like a master painter into exactly what he desires (Ephesians 2:10).