Conundrum

 I need your help today.

last night I woke briefly three times. Each time I had this image in my mind.  I wasn't dreaming..... there was nothing going on, just the picture.


I felt this might be a God prompt so I looked it up and discovered that towards the end of his life Monet bought a house specifically so that he could design and build a garden in it.  And he wanted a garden just so that he could paint it.   Over the next few years he painted the garden over 250 times - some of the paintings are huge and many are now hung in government and public buildings across France.  He had cataracts which affected his eyesight so that some of his late works look quite abstract as he couldnt really see what he was painting.    I've been thinking about this on and off all day and know there's a lesson in here somewhere Im just not quite sure what it is.

I think the best I can reach for just now is that Monet went to a huge amount of effort and time and expense to invest in his talent.  He wasn't just content with using the gift God had given him for painting, he wanted to create and plant a garden of Eden so that he could make his paintings even more exquisite.  At the point where many people would have said Monet was at the very top of his game, he decided to keep pushing the boundaries.  And he didnt let age or infirmity stop him.  Long past the point where most people would have put down their brushes and admitted that they couldn't see well enough to keep going, he kept going.   It reminds me of Beethoven writing his most astonishing music long after he had gone completely deaf.   Both these men exercised their calling right up until the end of their lives.  As a result the world was graced with music and art which has blessed and will continue to bless generations.

Sometimes we neglect the things that are going well, the things we are good at or know we can do and focus on trying to improve and invest in the weaker areas of our lives.  But maybe god wants us to play to our strengths and keep on investing in the things we are really good at.  If our gift is hospitality maybe we should be buying that new sofa after all.  If we are teachers maybe we really do need to go on that course or invest in that new laptop.  You get the idea. 

There's probably alot more to be said about Monet's painting.  Not least about the bridge.  But today is all about audience participation.  So feel free to share your interpretations below .  Thank you!

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