WEDNESDAY WEEKLY WORD...canvas, color and the cross

I have always been amazed at how some women can create beautiful needlework. This is not an art that I have mastered. To take thread and canvas and create something so beautiful and magnificent is truly amazing. With each stitch, a heart connection seems to be made with the canvas. The artists personality seems to become intertwined with the masterpiece they are creating.

Building strong relationships with others is much like creating a masterpiece on canvas. The success of our relationships is determined upon our attitude and our skill in dealing with others. Building strong relationships built on God's principles is something that we can all learn to do, He has given each of us the creative tools to use, but its up to us whether or not we pick up the canvas and create something beautiful out of it.

In last week's YOUR OPINION MATTERS POLL, I polled the readers the following question: "Who do you have the strongest relationship with?" The top answers were:

1. 55% of those voting said that they have the strongest relationship with their spouse.

2. A 4-way tie came in with 11% responding that they are closest to their kids, their friends, their mother and God.

I have to admit, I was taken back alittle bit by the poll. Our relationship with God is equal to or less than what it is with others? This could be the reason our tapestry of relationships is less than what it could be. God is the ultimate relationship for us to have, it is by His design and His pattern that we must build all other relationships on.

God chose us.

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, he with me." (Revelation 3:20)

He is the great initiator of relationship. There is nothing more significant in all of history than the cross and resurrection. It was God's gift to us of life, of worth, of blessing and of hope.

It's not a relationship though if all God does is offer it, and we never receive it. What good would it do if an artist created something beautiful on the canvas and just kept it to themselves? The beauty of it is intended to be shared by others.

God has created beauty and He wants to share it with us. It is a gift that keeps giving and giving, once we receive His masterpiece of love, we can extend it to others. This is the foundation of all relationships.

Have you received your artwork yet?