More with Less
More with Less
God has a way of accomplishing more with less. For instance, even though I’m much more limited and restricted than in the days when I was on my feet, God is accomplishing much more through my life now than He did then.
I’m reminded of that fact every time I look at a certain painting of mine … my first painting of a horse.
When I was a teenager, horses preoccupied me. If I wasn’t riding and exercising them I was brushing and feeding them. I spent so much time with horses in those days I’m surprised it took me so long to finally paint a picture of one of my favorite subjects. How long? Sixteen years.
To get started on that painting, I gathered and studied scores of horse photographs. As I made my initial sketches, I pieced together my own “original” horse from all those shots, taking bits of information from a multitude of sources. After coming up with a satisfactory composition, I mixed my colors. I wanted him to be a dapple gray with splashes of sunlight on his coat through the shade of trees.
As I began painting, I really tried to get into the movement and feel of the animal. I had to reach down within myself, my memories, and pull out everything I know about horses in order to capture one on canvas.
Frankly, I was surprised to discover how much I remembered.
Though I haven’t had feeling in my hands for years, the sensations came back to me … my had smoothing down the shiny coat … the touch of my fingers braiding the mane … the soft, nuzzly feel of a horse’s nose. All these perceptions were as clear in my mind as if I’d taken this imaginary gray of mine out for a ride yesterday.
The painting turned out fine. I felt I was able to create a special, very individual kind of horse in a lovely setting.
I haven’t ridden a horse in many years. I’m rarely around a stable. It’s been a long time since I’ve known the touch of a horse’s coat. But I think I know far more about what makes up a horse now than I ever did when I was on my feet. I certainly know that I can paint one much better than I ever did in my past. With patience, contemplation, persistence, thought, imagination—and a heart that’s learned quietness—I am able to do much more with far less.
I wonder if we honestly realize the rich resources which God provides when He takes away our health or certain coveted abilities.
We may think we could do far more with more.
But God knows He can do a great deal more in our lives with a good deal less.