Alright, God. You Got Me.....

I went to 5 stores on Saturday looking for the perfect rug and window treatment for the laundry room.  I was not happy when I left the house and, after finding that none of the stores had what I wanted, I returned with an even more dismal outlook.  That night I worked on some more projects and the glass in my DIY framed art broke just as I was trying to put it back.  The paint I had used earlier that day came out too shiny and I was crying about the unfairness of it all.  Poor me.
I mentioned yesterday that I picked up a little something at the Antique Fair.

The woman who sold it to me said she thought it was done by Durer.  It had a mark on it and I thought it was interesting and I would look it up later.

 

That night I was reading a study in the book of Philippians.  The whole content is focused on putting others before yourself.  "In humility consider others better than yourselves." (Philippians 2:3)  Geez, God.  I have been hearing this over and over for the past two weeks.  I really want to put others first.....just let me get those cabinet doors painted.  Oh, and I have some cleaning to do....and, of course, my blog.  Can't forget about that.  Then I will have time for others.

The story is told of two young artists, Albrecht Durer and Franz Knigstein who hoped to obtain success, yet both were so poor that they could not go to school to study art.  They decided to draw lots and the one would study while the other worked to support the both of them.  Then when the one who had been in school made enough money from the sale of paintings to support the two of them, the other would stop working and go to school.

Durer was the one who was to have the first opportunity to study, while Knigstein began working at hard labor.  Durer sold several pictures and now it was the other man's turn to study painting.  Sadly he found that his fingers had become so stiff and gnarled from his heavy labor that he could never work with an artist's brush.  Therefore, Knigstein resigned himself to the fact that he would have to give up all his artisitic dreams, yet was not embittered.

Shortly after Knigstein's discovery, his friend, Durer, found him kneeling by his bed with his hands uplifted in prayer.  The artist heard Knigstein unselfishly praying for the continued success of Durer, since he himself could never be an artist.

 

Durer sketched the expressive hands of his friend and later completed the now famous painting known as the "Praying Hands".

Oh, dear.  A clear answer to what it means to put others first.  I have a habit of doing just the opposite.  Especially at the expense of my family.  So, all that to say....

God knew just what I needed.....and it came in the form of a bunny.

 

"Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed...continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is GOD who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose." (Philippians 2:12-1)

Shared today with Emily at Chatting at the Sky.