God is a Good Artist
By Debbie Prezzano

As I stood there enjoying the scene before me, I was impressed with another thought, as from within, a still small voice whispered to my heart and said, “The more you allow the earthly things in your life to die the more vibrantly my true glorious colors will show in you.”  Well, I guess it does not take the Sermon on the Mount to blow me away, one simple example of God’s truth and glory exhibited in a tree in my backyard and another area of my life was yielded to him.  God truly is a “really good artist”.  We were all created to exhibit the splendor of God’s glory, but our brilliance has been covered up as we fill ourselves with sin.  Thank God for His goodness and mercy in providing a way to once again reveal his image in us through the death of Jesus. 

I recently met with a child and his mentor to celebrate their one-year anniversary of being matched.  At that lunch meeting, I asked *Adam, a twelve year old, if his mentor had shown him something new about God.  Without any hesitation he said, “*Troy radiates Jesus and I hope that I will shine like him someday.”  Now I knew Adam liked to talk and that words are his friends, but to hear this poetic answer from him still brought me to tears right there in the middle of Applebees.  To have such an impact in such a short amount of time was more than I or Troy would have dared to hope for.            

By simply spending time with Troy, Adam was able to see the true, vibrant, God-created colors in his elder friend’s life.  And through the illuminating truth that this friendship brings, he has now begun to realize that he has these colors as well.   
Please consider giving to Long Island Youth Mentoring as an opportunity to participate in God’s creative work in the lives of His children whom may never get to see their “true colors” unless someone takes the time to show them.†

*Names changed