The Son Painting

In one of the classes Jason and I took at RYM last week, the teacher shared the best illustration. It's truly beautiful. 

There was a man who loved art. 

He was an avid art collector. 

He would travel the world and acquire new pieces to hang in his home.

His son would tag along on these trips.

Naturally, the son's love and interest in these fine art pieces grew as well.

It was "their thing". It was the way they bonded. 

Time passed and many exquisite pieces of art had been collected.

One day, the son was drafted into the army. 

He left his father and went to war. 

Time passed and there was a knock on the father's door. 

He was told that his son was missing in action and that he would be notified when they knew anything about his whereabouts. 

Days later there was a knock on the door and a young man was standing there with a large wrapped package. He told the father that his son died saving his life. 

He then asked if he could come in. 

The father invited him in and they spent the afternoon talking and admiring the art that the father and son had spent years collecting together. 

Before the solider left, he gave the father the package he brought. 

"It's nothing compared to what you have here but I thought you might like it" and as the father opened up the painting of his son, he could tell it was done by an amateur but the solider had captured his son's face perfectly. 

The father walked over to his most prized painting, took it down, and placed the painting of his son in it's coveted spot. 

Time passed and the father died. 

According to his will, they were going to auction off all of his art that he had collected with his son over the years. 

People came from all ends of the world to gain these pieces of art. 

The excitement in the room is palpable as they brought out the first piece of art. 

It was the painting of the son. 

The auctioneer starts off: "Ladies and Gentlemen, our first piece of art, do I hear $100?"

Silence. 

"Do I hear $50?"

Silence.

Time passes. 

Then someone speaks up: "Let's get on with it. We didn't come here for pieces of art like this done by an amateur. Let's get to the real stuff. The good stuff."

The auctioneer replies: "The auction does not proceed until this piece is sold. This one has to go first."

The crowd grumbles and you can feel the anger rising in the room. 

An older man speaks up: "'I'll give you $10 for it. I knew the boy and he was a nice kid"

"$10 going once, going twice, sold!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, the auction is now over"

The crowd uproars in anger

"What do you mean the auction is over?"

"We just began."

"We haven't even gotten to the real art yet!"

They were furious. 

The auctioneer stands up and what he says silences the whole room. 

"According to the father's will. Whoever gets the painting of the son, gets it all. The auction is over ladies and gentlemen."

Y'all. I had tears in my eyes when he finished that story. 

That's God. 

That's Jesus. 

That's us. 

That's our lives.

The Father's will for our lives is that when we get The Son, we get it all. 

God's grace is astounding. 

It should bring us to our knees in thanks and make us sing praises.