boy meets girl

i was reading josh harris' book boy meets girl today and came across this really great bit about glorifying god with what you've got. just thought i might share this little chunkette with you:


... You might be asking, "How am i supposed to obey God's commands and follow his principles when my circumstances are so different from those of other people?" Let me try to explain.
Imagine you're a student in an art class. You and dozens of classmates are learning from a master painter. One day your teacher displays a painting of his own. It's an incredible work of art, and he wants you to copy it.
You're about to begin working when you turn to look at the person next to you. You're surprised to note that he has a larger brush than yours and a differently shaped canvas. You look around at the rest of the class. Some students have acrylic paint, others watercolor, still other oil-and everyone has different colors. Though you al have the same assignment, you each have c0mpletely different materials.
This frustrates you. Some students have materials you would prefer for yourself. Why should they get them? You're not the only student to notice the disparity. A hand goes up. A girl to the left of you with only a ragged brush and three pale shades of blue on her palette is noticeably agitated."This isn't fair," she tells the teacher."How do you expect me to duplicate your painting when the people around me have so many more colors to choose from?"
The teacher smiles. "Don't worry about the other students," he says."I've carefully chosen the brushes and paints that each of you has. Trust me. You have what you need to complete the assignment. Remember your goal is not to create a painting that mirrors the person next to you, but to do your best with the materials I've given you to create a picture faithful to my painting."


the context of that was all about relationships (of the romantic kind) and how you shouldn't be using other peoples relationships as a step-by-step manual, but instead and inspiration. even though josh was using it as an analogy for relationships, but i think it applies to all areas of life really.
it goes along with the esky thing tim said last week at church. if god is your esky ie. big thing central in your life, you'll be doing everything you can to glorify god with what you've be given.







and now, it is time for sleepies.