There’s something deeply humbling about standing in front of an unfinished canvas. As I work on my latest mixed media piece, I find myself in that familiar space between vision and completion – that “ugly stage” where nothing quite looks like the picture in my head.
You know that moment? When the layers aren’t quite cohesive, the colors haven’t found their harmony, and your artistic vision seems to be playing hide and seek? I’ve been there countless times, brush in hand, fighting the urge to force the piece into submission.
But here’s what I’m learning: Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is simply… pause.
As I weave scripture through my work – verses about dawn breaking forth, souls finding rest, and everything becoming beautiful in its time – I’m struck by how perfectly this creative process mirrors our spiritual journey. How often do I try to take the reins from God, attempting to force my own timing onto His perfect plan?
It’s a pattern I see in both my art and my walk with Christ. That restless energy to rush through the uncomfortable middle stages, the desire to skip straight to the finished product. But just as forcing a painting rarely leads to the outcome we hope for, trying to hurry God’s timing only leaves us frustrated and exhausted.
The Holy Spirit has been teaching me the sacred art of waiting. Of letting each layer dry before adding the next. Of stepping back when my instinct is to push forward. It’s in these pause points that the most beautiful transformations often occur – both on canvas and in spirit.
Maybe you’re in one of those waiting seasons right now. Perhaps you’re standing in your own “ugly stage,” wondering if anything beautiful can emerge from this unfinished space. I want you to know something: this pause is not a punishment. It’s not a dead end. It’s a holy invitation to trust the Artist who sees the finished masterpiece even when we can’t.
Just as I’m learning to trust the creative process – adding paper scraps here, texture there, letting the glazes marry the layers together in their own time – we’re all learning to trust God’s process in our lives. Sometimes it means sitting with the discomfort of the unfinished. Sometimes it means celebrating the beauty of the “not yet.”
So I’m setting down my brushes earlier than planned. I’m choosing to rest in the wait, to trust the process, and to remember that even this in-between stage is sacred ground.
To those of you in your own season of waiting: take heart. You’re not alone in this space of becoming. The pause is not the end of your story – it’s often where the most important work happens. Rest here awhile. Trust the process. Your next beautiful layer is coming.
Sprinkle some joy in the comments! 🎨