A Crayon in the Hand of God

     I love the prayer of St. Francis...
         "Lord, Make me an instrument of thy peace..."
     For the musically gifted, this metaphor makes perfect sense. Each individual is but one instrument in this grand orchestra of life. The breath breathed through us to make the music...that's a God thing. (For we sure as heck didn't invent it.)
     As a creative, I prefer a different analogy. I like to think of myself as a crayon in the hand of God--preferably a cheery colored crayon--something that adds color... there to brighten the scenes I am blessed to take part in.
     But here of late, I've come to appreciate that the darker hues are what an artist picks when craving more depth. There's nothing wrong with them. We're just living in a time where chipper bright reds and blues are the attention grabbers, after all, there's nothing fun about black (unless you're a little dress)...But those darker hues, God made those too...and for a reason. You never see a Crayola 64 pack with only primary colors. Nope. Just like the orchestra with all its variety,  it takes a village of shapes, sounds and colors to make symphony or a masterpiece come together.
     Whether piccolo or Crayola,  flute or brush, we are but instruments...the life and breath of the larger creation is not ours to decide. Only when Spirit takes hold, sweeping through these instruments, will the creation be felt. Best we can do to facilitate is to keep our own instruments free of debris and in tune...Keep our inner crayon sharpened...For it is not ours to decide when the conductor will tap his wand or when the world might be due another masterpiece.