Change and China painting

Me and my sweet Grandmother in her new room

My grandmother's china painting

This week has been difficult.  Because my eighty-four year old grandmother has had increased health concerns over the last few months, she has decided to sell her condo to move into to an assisted living.

We have two more days to get ready for the sale.  The last few weeks, we've reviewed every item in her house to decide if family should keep it, or sale it.  Some items we've definitely kept.  My cousin gets the cookie jar, the smell and taste of my grandmother's house, opened every time we walked through her door.  The cuckoo clock, weary from years of winding, the sound of her house, another cousin chose and will be cherished for years to come.  We got the piano, another sound from my grandmother's house.   Even though it needs to be tuned, the girls play it every chance they get.  I have a picture of me and my brother playing the piano when we were probably three and five years old.  Precious memories!  The very used crochet set may have to retire from play, but my sister rescued it from the sale.

As for decorating, my grandmother has good tastes, but decorates very frugally (like everything she buys).  In her living room, she has thirty-year-old couches, tan with brown leaves (selling to a good home).  My grandmother framed her father's violin with a hymn and hung it above her mantle, the focal decor of her living room.  My dad said, "I don't care what I get, but that vioin is already mine.  My grandfather gave it to me."  My grandmother decorated her kitchen with china plates she had painted.  As we dusted them off, each great-grandchild picked a plate and matching cup.  They picked out their china based on their favorite colors.          

Yesterday, I brought more painted china home.  As I explained the process of china painting, the girls realized for the first time that my grandmother (G.G., great-grandmother to them) had painted them.  My girls' perspective about their new plates changed.  They know the creator.  They looked at the plates more carefully.  They admired their G.G.'s talent.  They carefully displayed their dainty, chosen treasures.   

It reminded me of how people can change when they learn about their creator.

By learning about the creator,  the God of the Bible,  people can look more carefully at themselves and realize how far they are from perfect. The Bible calls this sin. 

By learning about the creator, people realize how special God created them.  Like each plate my grandmother painted, God creates each person uniquely.  God thinks each person is so special, special enough to send His only son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for our sin. 

By knowing the creator, chosen followers of Jesus desire to please Him because of His greatness and His great care for us.    

Psalm 139:14 says, "I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made.  Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well." (Holman Christian Standard Version HCSV) 
Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them". (HCSV)

Do you know your creator?  You can.
Do you act like it?