REPAINTING THE ANGEL
The statuette of an angel holding the hand of a little
boy had been placed on a neglected back shelf in an antique shop. It was
covered with soot and dust, lost amidst the clutter of jars, dishes, and
ornaments. A man browsing through the shop discovered the figurine and had an
inspiration: He would rescue it from oblivion, restore it, and give it a place
of honor among his Christmas decorations.
At home in his
basement workshop, the man covered the angel and the child with glistening
white paint. Then he painted the wings of the angel and the hair of the little
boy with sparkling gold. Each brush stroke worked magic. The old, grime-covered
statuette vanished, and a shining, new one appeared. The statuette was
transformed before his eyes into a thing of radiant beauty.
As the man
painted, he thought, Isn’t this what happens to people at Christmas? They come
to the end of the year dust-covered from the struggle. And then Christmas inspires them to repaint their
nature with love and joy and peace.
The art of
repainting the angel! This is our lifelong task: to never stay down in the dust and the dirt, but, heroically, to
rise again after each fall.
Repainting the
angel! We need never lose our ideals, dreams, and purposes. We can always make
them gleam again with the glory of renewed hope.
This story reminds
me how life takes on a special glow at Christmas. It starts with the wonder of
a little baby who came carrying a
message of love, peace and hope.
For those in families, it continues with the happiness and camaraderie of
celebrating together with loved ones. For all people, alone or with others, it
is completed when we contemplate what Jesus has done for us and thank Him for
the blessings He has given.
Christmas is
special because we enjoy not only what God has done for the whole world, but
also for us personally.
He has “repainted”
us with new qualities that we couldn’t have given ourselves. He has put His
love inside us. He has given us peace, as the angels promised. He has forgiven all
our sins and failures, and now He accepts us as His children. He lets us feel
the joy that knowing Him brings. We are transformed by Christmas.
May the peace, the joy, the love, the hope and the
warmth of Christmas overflow in your heart and stay with you, not only during
this Christmas season, but also during the whole year.