Blessed for Others

Pastor Richard Fairchild once told about a story about an artist. This artist was seeking to somehow convey the meaning of the Christian faith amid the storms of life, so he painted a storm at sea. Black clouds filled the sky. Illuminated by a flash of lightning, a little boat could be seen breaking apart under the pounding of the ocean. People were struggling in the swirling waters, their anguished faces crying out for help. The only glimmer of hope appeared in the foreground of the painting, where a large rock protruded out of the water. There, clutching desperately with both hands, was one lone seaman.

Fairchild remarked that it was a moving scene. Amid the storm, the only hope of salvation was “the Rock of Ages,” a shelter in the tempest. But as the artist reflected upon his work, he realized that the painting did not accurately portray his subject. So he threw out the canvas and painted another. It was very similar to the first: the black clouds, the flashing lightning, the angry waters, the little boat crushed by the pounding waves, and the crew vainly struggling in the water. In the foreground, the seaman was clutching the large rock for salvation. But the artist made one change: the survivor was holding on with only one hand, and with the other hand he was reaching down to pull up a drowning friend.

Reflecting on that story, it is clear that the second painting is the one that really captures the essence of the Christian life and message. We have been saved for a reason. We have been blessed for a purpose larger than ourselves. We have been blessed in order to be a blessing to others.

The question remains: who might you reach out to – with a hand of love and grace – today?

Let us pray: God of Hope, help us to find a way to be a blessing to at least one person this very day. Amen.