Emerging from the Dark

I don’t know about you, but shortened hours of daylight and the lengthening of night is a little challenging for me at this time of year. I know that eventually the light will begin to return and the nights will once again grow shorter—but it’s a season to move through.

A handful of years ago, I learned about the subtractive method of oil painting and charcoal drawing, and I immediately fell in love with the process.

Rather than starting with a blank canvas or piece of paper and adding to it, the subtractive process—as you might guess—works in reverse.

The surface is covered with a dark, solid ground of charcoal or paint, and then you begin to draw by erasing—by gently taking away.

Out of the darkness, light begins to emerge, and with just a few swipes of an eraser or rag, an image starts to take form. Everything is there from the beginning, but layer by layer you remove more and more until the form is fully revealed.

And my gosh, isn’t that how we are with God, the Master Artist?

We are each a beautiful work of art that gets covered by the difficulties of this life—hurt, misunderstanding, confusion, worry, overwhelm, uncertainty.

But when we allow God to work on us, He gently clears away the darkness and brings our true beauty into the light.

It’s all a process, but if we trust, we will eventually be fully restored to the masterpiece God intended us to be from the start.

That’s something to look forward to with joyful anticipation, don’t you think?