Picasso's Lost Painting

Imagine going to a garage sale and finding this ugly little painting in an old, worn frame. The thing is grotesque and you wonder why anyone would have it in the first place, much less be willing to buy it at a garage sale. You notice that the frame hides some part of the painting and, at first, you think, "Good! The less of it I have to see, the better!" But then you notice what look to be the tops of letters peeking out from the frame. You, ever so carefully, push that corner of the painting back and peer down, allowing just enough light for you to make out "Picasso."

Suddenly, your opinion of the value of this painting changes dramatically and you are astonished at your luck. You wonder if it's too good to be true and how the owner could possibly sell it here. It either has to be fake or she doesn't know what she has.

What changed? Certainly not the painting. It's as ugly as ever, with eyes, ears, and noses all over the place; sharp, angular features no human could possibly ever have; and what may or may not be a second mouth. No, what makes it valuable is the signature of the person who painted it. It's aesthetic appeal may be 0, but it's worth millions simply because it is a Picasso.

We're like that. Whether our particular painting is as beautiful as a Monet, as wonderfully detailed as a Renoir, or as hideous a thing as we can imagine, the value is the same because we bear the mark of the Maker. It was God who painted us. He didn't paint our lives to be the sinners we are, but He made us. However ugly our lives become, they are still lives created by Him.

Think about this for a second: God loves Hitler as much as He loves John the Baptist. Sound hard to believe? I know I have a hard time with it. And yet, even though I can't understand how, it's true.

You may be wondering how much God can really love you. Maybe you've done something terrible, or maybe you just don't like yourself very much, but God can and does love you and it has nothing to do with what you've done or what kind of mess you may have made of your life. He created you and chose to love you.

Next time, probably on Monday, we'll look at the other half of why you're valuable: because Jesus died for you. Then, the next session will be on what that means for us in relation to our identity.