Once upon a time there was an artist who painted a picture for a scientist. She gave it to him and hung it on his wall. She noticed that he was looking at it too closely and would not be able to see the big picture. She said, "Stand back here with me."
He replied, "It looks like it is a compound of pigments, some type of material." She said, "I know, come back here with me to be able to see the big picture." He said, "I only look at things scientifically. You know, people talking about looking at the big picture have done terrible things in the name of the big picture!" Then he got out a little magnifying glass and studied a corner of the picture intently. She said, "Look, you know I would not do anything terrible in the name of the big picture. Now would you just come back here and look at the big picture?"
He said, "It's not scientific to look at the big picture. No....and the science of me, that is what is tested and verifiable." Then, he got out a knife to take a scraping of the picture. His friend came forward, grabbed his hand and said, "Stop! What do you think you're doing?" He replied, "I have to test the materials of it to be able to make some observations."
She said, "You're going to ruin it! You should have stood back to observe it with me if you wanted to make observations. But I can see that you do not want to see the big picture. You know, that is really ashame because it is beautiful." Then she took it off the wall and walked out. The scientist caught a glimpse of her big picture as she walked out and it seemed beautiful. Then he thought, "But I once heard that people who see the big picture are a threat to science. Science!" So he turned away from it and went back to his test-tubes.
3 comments:
i'm back! Man, it took me a little while to catch up on things...
Anyway, I wanted to share a perspective I had on this parable. God says, "Look at the big picture of the life I am creating for you..." I say "...but I am too involved of the little details of my life to notice what a beautiful picture it is...wow, the little details are very detaily and are very confusing; let me think about this more." God again says "...do not get bogged down in the details of today for tomorrow has enough details of it's own." I say, "...but I cannot see the future and I do not trust that these brush strokes will work out into a nice picture; let me worry about the details and then maybe they will work themselves out into a nice picture." This is what I was reminded of as I read this parable. Let's hope that we will learn to look at the big beautiful picture that God is helping us paint and look to Him to hold the paintbrush. I know it was about scientists but it spoke to my heart in a different way. I guess that is the way of parables...
~Bertie
You have a good debate going on in your head there.
Hmmm, try to make sure the Good side always wins the debate. Don't worry, the Good is not as boring or prissy as you may think and there always seems to be more Evil to force into redemption. I'm glad you liked that parable. It seemed to me it was not humorous enough or lacking in some smashing poetic justice. But one can't always think of something good.
Maybe the New Man is the best material for satire.
sometimes the 'simplest' truths in life, like that God has a plan better than our's and we don't have to worry, are the most life-changing when put into action....I'll let you know who wins the debate.
~Bertie
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