An encounter with a master

Once in a while, one meets a great personality and the encounter becomes a treasured memory.

A couple of years ago, my wife and I had an unannounced visit from the great maestro Malang. Everybody in the office was star-struck; topping the list was The Ilocana (my wife, Lilia). As pleasantries were exchanged and stories were told, it became obvious that the famous Malang was as brilliant in conversation as he is in painting.

And then The Ilocana pulled a stunt that left me a bit embarrassed. She pulled out a piece of bond paper and waited patiently for the right moment to make the request. Then, with child-like admiration, she asked the maestro to draw a sketch of her on that piece of paper.

I was a little shocked at such impropriety. It’s like visiting a corporate office and then having someone ask me to do a seminar right then and there. But the ever-charming Malang obliged. He looked at The Ilocana and drew away, his ordinary pen converting the piece of paper into a beautiful work of art. That sketch is eternally preserved in a beautiful picture frame, a personal piece of treasure The Ilocana proudly shows to visitors while she tells them the story of the fantastic encounter.

That’s what a master craftsman can do – transform a blank piece of ordinary paper, or a crude piece of wood, glass or marble, into a masterpiece that commands a fortune.

There are amateurs who simply copy a master’s style. They want the prestige and the respect given to masters, but they don’t want the hard work that comes with it. They think that by cheating and deceiving, they’re taking the shortcut to success. But their work is usually not as interesting, and they end up a failure instead.

Mastery of one’s craft cannot be faked. People want authenticity. They can smell a fake even from a mile away.

Let me share with you this story from Thomas Lane Butts.

An artist went to visit a dear friend. When he arrived, she was weeping. He asked why. She showed him a handkerchief of exquisite beauty and great sentimental value which had been ruined by a drop of indelible ink.

The artist asked her to let him have the handkerchief. She agreed. Several days later, the artist returned it to her by mail. When she opened the package, she could hardly believe her eyes. The artist, using the inkblot as a base, had drawn on the handkerchief a design of great beauty with India ink. Now it was more beautiful and more valuable than ever.

Sometimes the tragedies that break our hearts can become the foundation for a more beautiful design in our lives.

The recent flooding is heartbreaking for the many people who lost their houses and other possessions, and whose businesses have been badly hit. But let us not go on weeping for the things that were lost. Rather, let’s celebrate that our family members were kept safe. Psalm 30:5 says, “…weeping may last for the night, but joy comes in the morning.”

The flooding brought about by the Habagat may have broken your heart. Or there may be other events that have been more tragic. Be patient with those hurts over which you have no control. Allow the Master to make something beautiful out of those. A popular song goes, “When you can’t trace [God’s] hand, trust His heart.” In God, heartaches and heartbreaks can become beautiful blessings. In God, a tragedy may be transformed into a masterpiece.

(Click to www.franciskong.com to find out how to receive daily inspirational quotes and thoughts from Francis, or visit facebook.com/franciskong2 for more details. His books Only The Real Matters and The Early Bird Catches the Worm But the Second Mouse Gets the Cheese are now available on Amazon Kindle.)