Opportunity: The Making of a Masterpiece
We often look at life like flipping a coin. “Heads I win, tails I lose”; a depiction, that for many things in life there are only two choices, winning or loosing. In a situation where we think we or someone else has the advantage the saying becomes “Heads I win, tails you lose”; depicting that someone from the beginning held the advantage. Why is it that we often prefer a black and white approach to life? Does it really make life that much easier? Sadly, either process disregards the value of the coin that can only be understood if both sides are united into one unit.
According to Steven D’Souza and Diana Renner Not knowing is not the absence of knowledge or knowledge that is discoverable.[1] “Not Knowing often leads to learning and new knowledge. Just as in nature and biology, Not Knowing can lead to growth that is unseen, like the embryo in the womb or the seed deep in the earth. We are tempted to think that nothing is happening when it is not easily visible, yet transformation is unfolding, in the dark.”[2] D’Souza and Renner go on to explain the we often rely on what we can see when nature shows us that there is a balance between what we know (day) and what we don’t know (night). It is in the darkness that space is created allowing new creative ideas to come to light.[3]
Needle point is a tedious and pain staking labor of love for many artsy types. What turns out to be a beautiful work of art on on side can look like a chaotic mess on the other. On one side you get a clear view of the artists work, often showing great contrast and detail. On the other, you see every thread color change, every knot and only a vague idea of the beautiful work of art on the opposite side. This is much like the Christian life. We often see our lives full of knots and color changes, what looks like a mess with little or no beauty. What we fail to realize that from God’s view “we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he has planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT) Just as heads and tails are part of same coin so are the trials, wounds, mistakes and struggles of life part of the masterpiece God is creating us to be in Christ Jesus. We are often oblivious to what is happening since it can not be easily seen. Yet, there is a transformation taking place unfolding in what often appears to be darkness. It is the unique whole that creates the value, there can not be one without the other. For many of us it is a matter of perspective. Which side of the needle point are we focused on? Both sides are part of the same reality and both sides are vital to the value of the whole.
Knowing and Not Knowing go hand in hand, they are opposite sides of the same coin. They are as the authors depict; “The Art of Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity.”
[1] Steven D’Souza and Diana Renner, Not Knowing: The Art of Turning Uncertainty into Opportunity, (London; LID Publishing, 2018), 135.
[2] Steven D’Souza and Diana Renner, 135.
[3] Steven D’Souza and Diana Renner, 135-36.
About the Author
Greg Reich
Entrepreneur, Visiting Adjunct Professor, Arm Chair Theologian, Leadership/Life Coach, husband, father and grandfather. Jesus follower, part time preacher! Handy man, wood carver, carpenter and master of none. Outdoor enthusiast, fly fisherman, hunter and all around gun nut.10 responses to “Opportunity: The Making of a Masterpiece”
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Greg, we like things tied up in neat and tidy boxes – hence the affinity for creating dichotomies of right or wrong, black or white, winning or losing, etc. Navigating the middle way of the both/and is too murky for us and it requires work to do so.
A lot of it is a matter of perspective though. I love the imagery of history/life as a mosaic or tapestry that, in the moment, we only get the zoomed in, immediate problems around us. But when we step back and look at the full scheme of the picture, we see that the things that don’t make sense in the moment are clearer in the broader spectrum of life and history.
I see not knowing as part of this; we may not know the full ramifications of what we do or what’s already been done until much later. Being able to live in that creative tension is the challenge.
Dylan,
It would be nice if life was as simple and clean as we would like it to be. The apostle Paul tells the church in Corinth “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I also have been fully known.”
Things will be clear someday. Until then we work our way through the murky parts of life one day at a time.
A friend of mine is a painter. It takes time for her to create a painting because she doesn’t paint what she sees, she paints what is unseen, what wants to be painted. She doesn’t know what wants to be painted unless she sits with a canvas and paint for awhile. She waits, with no agenda, for the paint and movements to dictate what will be. She shared her process with me a few months ago. It has captivated me and caused me to wonder what it would look like if we, as leaders, allowed a similar process to be the foundation of the spaces where we lead and serve?
Darcy,
I am not sure this method would work all the time in a leadership setting but I would love to be sitting in a church meeting or service where the leaders stood up and stated that they don’t have an agenda and the purpose of the the next hour was to wait for the Spirit to unfold God’s agenda. I wonder how many people would be able to sit the entire hour? I wonder how many would get up an leave?
Those within the Friends tradition would love it- those non-denom types, probably less so;) Agreed- it would be super unsettling for a group format. But what might emerge from those who stayed and trusted?
There’s a line in the “Star Wars” cinematic universe- “Only the Sith deal in absolutes.” In that world, those who are filled with the “dark side of the force” are only able to see black and white, winners and losers while those on the “light side” see nuance. Ironically, even those on the “light side” view “the force” as only having two facets- light and dark. To stand in the place of intentional unknowing, to balance between certainty and chaos, is a special skill set that is desperately lacking in leadership today. How is the tension of “not knowing” shaping your research?
Jer deals w/ transformation this week as well. I love John’s Star Wars reference this week. Transformation is holistic, nuanced, and a result of painstaking work.
Greg. I agree, we seem to be so much more acquainted with the tangled mess and knots on the underside that we frequently miss (or disbelieve) the reality of the masterpiece. What kind of tools would be helpful for us to get more acquainted with the masterpiece side of our lives? What have you found to be helpful in understanding the tangles and knots more redemptively?
Jer,
The question to me is more whose masterpiece are we called to be? Who is the one creating the masterpiece? Life happens but we can choose out response. We see an interesting progression of events unfold in Mark 8. Jesus feeds 4000 hunger people, the Pharisees demand a sign, Jesus warns his disciple about the leaven of the Pharisees and the disciples fail to see his point. Jesus heals a blind man restoring his ability to see. This is the only miracle we on record that Jesus did in two stages. Sometimes ones ability to see isn’t instantaneous. Next Jesus asks the disciples who people say that he is. This all leads up to the million dollar question, Jesus asking “Who do you say that I am?” How you see Jesus and who you see him as makes a difference. I think for us to see the masterpiece side of things we need to truly see who Christ is and who we are in Christ. We need to be willing to allow God to remove the things and attitudes that create blindness. I believe that hard times make us strong(antifragile). The bible tells us that as iron sharpens iron so man sharpens man. My knots and tangles remind me of the mercies of God. They make me who I am. They also remind me that I am not the only one with knots and tangles. In many ways it is the knots and tangles that create deep community. They become a place of commonality for many. The writer of Hebrews reminds is that Jesus suffered as we have suffered, letting us know Jesus understands knots and tangles.
Thanks Greg, this is a good reminder. It sure can feel like a bit of a mess on the underside.
As I have been learning, Liberation Theologians share the gospel message from the ‘underside of history’. Not always pretty and something that too many want to not spend much time with. In consideration of the underside-messiness of ‘needle-point’ this came to mind.
Is it that God fashions the beautiful image only by an underside messiness? I can feel the knotting of pain in Jesus and, by that a rising-up more than resilient expression of God-inspired-Life.
Peace with you! God is faithful.